Strength of Heart
by Tigeret
Summary: A new evil is coming. The Urameshi gang must face one of their hardest trials ever.When they decide to add someone new just what sort of things will happen? HieiOC KuramaBotan YusukeOC R
1. Discoveries

12

**Strength of Heart**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own anything Yoshihiro Togashi created. I do infact own the new characters not from the series and the story line thank you have a good day. ENJOY!**

**Summery: A new evil is vastly approaching. The Urameshi gang must face one of their newest and most difficult trials ever before. When they decide to add the aid of someone new, just what sort of things will happen? Something no one expected will erupt. The boys may never be the same again. HieiOC KuramaBotan YusukeKeiko KuwabaraYukina**

**X XXX X**

"That's all for today class. Do enjoy your summer vacation! See you all again next year."

It was Friday and I was dreading the summer break that I could feel was going to a major bore, what with myself expecting it to be full of study sessions and babysitting jobs. I filed all my books and belongings into my book bag less enthusiastically than my fellow classmates. I sighed when the loud '_bing_' of the dismissal bell allowed all of us to go home free from the duties of school…at least until the next school year arrived. I rose slowly from my desk. I wasn't exactly looking forward to the summer vacation but either way I knew that I couldn't exactly tell how I felt. People would just think that I was weird which they already did think of me. It made me upset sometimes. Suddenly I was confronted by a smiling blue haired, pink eyed girl.

"Its finally summer Maeryn! Aren't you excited?" It was my friend Botan. She was always perky and cheerful that sometimes I couldn't help but be swayed by her charm. Her smile truly was contagious. Even though Botan hadn't been attending my school for very long, she still had all the guys swoon after her just by her smile. She was a beautiful girl, truly she was. Her unusual hair and eyes and sweet demeanor seemed to attract then to her. I had no idea why exactly she rejected every single one that tried to court her affection but then again, Botan was still a strange person in my book. As we walked down the hallway, I listened half heartedly as she said her greetings to the many friends she had acquired in such a short amount of time. She looked at me with a worried glance.

"You doing anything in particular over the summer vacation?" She asked me bringing me out of my thoughts. I smiled shyly at her, feeling the heat rush to my face.

"No not really. I was just thinking that my summer was going to be filled with study sessions and babysitting jobs. Nothing else." I laughed nervously. When I told my life out in spoken words it really did make my life sound boring. Botan sighed and shook her head gently from side to side.

"You and Keiko spend way too much time studying! Honestly you two don't seem to have a life at all outside of school! And personally I don't think you two really need to study as much as you do." Botan explained dramatically. I couldn't help but giggle at her drama. I looked around and saw Keiko and my two other friends; Tanya and Ryoko approaching us. Botan was still going on about our boring lives and I was still laughing when I noticed them. Keiko was the normal brown haired brown eyed beauty and just like Botan, had guys crawling for her. Tanya was tanned skin from her many swim days out in the sun and adored blue eyed, blond hair features while Ryoko was greatly in contrast with Tanya. She had light pale skin and bright blue hair, like Botan, and deep emerald eyes. Despite all their different appearances, they were all natural beauties.

"Hey Maeryn!" Tanya called out waving vigorously. I waved back smiling politely.

"Hey Ryoko, Tanya, Keiko." I was always the shy on of the group but the only one I was really comfortable with was Tanya. She was so opened hearted. Ryoko was a wild child that liked to spend her time going to parties, dating boys the like. Personally, I was already an outcast why put guys into the already awkward circle. Keiko and Botan smiled at each other then to us. They both usually walked each other home while us three walked halfway down the road. We all said our goodbyes and I still remained silent while Tanya and Ryoko discussed Ryoko's new relationship problems. Ryoko glanced over at me while they were talking and smiled.

"Hey Mae, why don't you get yourself a boyfriend? You haven't dated anyone out of all of us. Oh wait...no one has asked you have they?" Ryoko asked me. I could hear the smugness in her voice. I couldn't stand how she could just laugh and think its alright to pick on people who just don't seem to have the 'touch' with the opposite gender. Sometimes I didn't see how Tanya could stand her for more than a few minutes. Tanya smiled lightly at me.

"Its not too bad, Mae, honestly. I've dated some guys not as many as Ryoko, and its not as all as bad as you think." Tanya encouraged helplessly. She knew how I felt about dating and boys and the like. My thoughts and feelings weren't going to change any time soon. Tanya felt the overrun tension that hung in the air around me and Ryoko. She was waiting for my answer, the answer that she wanted me to give and I just wasn't going to give her that satisfaction.

'As if...I don't fall prey to peer pressure.'

"No." was the only answer I gave them. Ryoko groaned and Tanya sighed. She was expecting that was going to be my answer same as Ryoko. It was an answer _she_ didn't want me to give her. Oh well tough luck for her.

"And just why not missy? Its not like you've had a bad experience and don't want to try it again. I mean if that was the case I would understand but...just flat out refusing its just not right!" I gave her a look that instantly told her to back off.

"You guys don't bug Botan about her not dating. And shes never dated anyone either."

"That's beside the point!" I looked at her square in the eye.

"Ryoko, you don't need a guy in your life to make things complete or to have fun with. I don't need a guy to tie me down. And besides, none of the guys that I know of in our school attract me. All they think about is looking up a girl's skirt or being complete perverts. Anyways," I smiled, "This is my road, see you guys later." I said waving at them as I walked down the road away from them toward my house before they could protest. I could already hear Ryoko complaining about the answer I gave her. I sighed. I always liked having alone time to think before I got home.

I knew that I didn't need a guy to keep me company. I didn't really find any of the guys at my school attractive. They just didn't hold what I really wanted in a guy. I was a shy girl, and I didn't know how to...I didn't know what I could possibly do with a guy...I was too scared to do anything. That's just how bad I was. Sure there were the jocks, well built bodies but they had butts for brains. I didn't want that whole issue of a one-sided conversation that I heard a lot of girls complain about, like Ryoko. Then there were the perverts around school...I just wanted a guy that I could be myself with and that I didn't have to hide who I was around... but that was too hard to find nowadays. When I finally reached the front door of my house, I heard several uncomfortable noises of things being pushed and falling on the floor, and things being shuffled around. I opened the door slowly.

"Hello?"

"Hey Sunshine! Welcome home! How was your last day of school?" I sighed. It was only my father that was moving things around. I saw him come out of the kitchen and in his hands were...3 big suitcases??

"Uh...school was school Dad...uh...what are you doing with your suitcases? I thought you were retired..." I asked him disbelieving. My father used to be a major in the military and when I was much younger we used to move from place to place so often that I couldn't quite get a good hold on my school work, that's when I had special home teaching and became above my grade. My father told me the last time we moved that when we moved back to Japan, he would retire which meant no more moving. This was all too much at the moment. My father gave me a look with concern purely written upon his face. He must've seen the sadness that I felt in my eyes.

"Sunshine," he whispered coming over and kneeling in front of me, "Maeryn, I am retired. I'm going on a trip to visit your brother, Galvin and your sister-in-law, Kalany all the way in Egypt. I thought...that you might have wanted to stay home instead of coming with me. You see I'm going to be a grandfather soon!" Oh yes, my older brother and his wife both lived outside of Japan. My brother is an archeology major and moved to Egypt shortly after he married to study. Even though the thought of his leave as just a short trip to Africa, it was still so sudden to me and stunned me even for a minute. I smiled at him, happy that we weren't moving again.

"Oh...ok. So...when are you leaving?" I asked assuming it to be days away before he left, but I was so very wrong.

"Uh..." he looked away almost guilty. This concerned me greatly. "I leave...tonight...theres an 8 o'clock plane leaving for Egypt tonight...and I may not be back before school starts up again..."

"Oh..."

"Do you have a friend you could possibly stay with for a while?" I thought about for a minute then smiled widely at my father. _Tanya!_

"Yeah Dad I've got a place to go. I'll go get some clothes and ask." I said kissing my father's cheek before running straight up the stairs and down the hall to my room. I closed the door silently and sighed. I looked around my room and then straight to the phone from its charger on my desk. I walked over to the phone and dialed Tanya's familiar number.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey Tanya, its me, Maeryn."

"_oh hey! Is everything alright? You don't sound as chipper as you usually sound?_" Tanya always could tell when there was something on my mind.

"Yeah Tanya, my Dad's packing for a trip to my brother's...and I'm not going..." I heard her giggle in the background and smiled. I knew she caught on quickly.

"_And you need a place to stay? Well I'd be more than happy to let you stay with me but..."_ I felt my smile slack. "_I'm going to a party with Ryoko...and I know your not really into it...but we could all go! Plus, it'd be a great thing for you to be out of the house, and interacting with the opposite gender."_ I heard her giggle again and I felt my face begin to burn.

"Uh...do you thin Ryoko would mind if a stray tagged along??" I asked almost too quietly for her to hear. At first I thought she didn't hear me until I heard Tanya's shocked but excited gasp. My face grew hotter.

"_Oh my gosh! Heck no!! She'd cheer you on! Jeez she'll probably tease you too about this being your first real party. Do you want me to get my mom to pick you up?_"

"Naw, I can walk to your house. And I've got the spare key if I need to get anything later on. I'll be over soon."

"_Ok, pack something cute! See you soon!_" I heard the click of her phone disconnecting and then dead silence. Placing the phone back on the charger, I pulled out my bag and grabbed a few cute outfits that I thought would be suitable, then I head down to my bathroom to grab my very small makeup bag and ran back down stairs. I was dreading the separation but I knew that it was good for my father to get out. My father loved to travel as I did, it was something we shared but I still couldn't help but feel sad all the same. At the bottom of the stairs, my father stood smiling at me but something in his eyes showed...sadness, a deep sadness. I smiled back to try and warm his demeanor. His suitcases were all standing by the door full and ready to go.

"Whats wrong Dad?" I asked him since his sadness didn't seem to leave his face.

"Nothing...just...you look so much like your mother...Anyways you can always stay home by yourself if you want to have some alone time. I know you like that." I smiled. My Dad knew all too well about my habit for wanting alone time and away from being social. It was my 'me' time as he called it. I nodded at him giggling.

"I know Dad. How long will you be staying at Galvin's?" I asked him trying to break the uneasiness that this was beginning to have for us. It was always the same uneasiness that we both got every time we had to move. Its been like this ever since Dad caught my crying in my room...

_**Flashback**_

_**I was 10 years old and I was sitting on my fluffy duck feathered bed. We only just moved to Turkey and now we were moving again. My father had just received news that he was to pack and be ready to leave by as early as Friday. It was Tuesday today. This time we were moving all the way to Egypt. Over the past few years I had grown so tired of moving but I still loved to travel. I didn't even hear the light knock on my bedroom door due to the heavy sobs that now stained my light blue pillow. I felt someone's hand press lightly on my back but I didn't want to move. I just wanted to lay there and cry my eyes out until I couldn't shed another tear. Breathing out harshly, I slowly turned to see my beloved father sitting beside me, his face contorted in worry and sadness.**_

"_**Sunshine, whats wrong? Why are you crying?" even though my father was in the military, he never once raised his voice in anger to me, nor did he ever scold me. He was a kind, caring man.**_

"_**I don't want to move again! I'm tired of moving! I'm tired of being dragged around the world! I want to be a normal kid and live a normal life!" I cried in heaving sobs. My father stared at me, at first, shocked then sighed and pulled me into his warm embrace.**_

"_**Sunshine...Its going to be alright. Daddy only has a few more months and then we can move back home, to Japan and never have to move again. We'll move into a big old house with a big garden in the back and never ever move again. How about that?" My father said wiping away my monster tears. I looked up at him and sniffed.**_

"_**Do you mean that Daddy?"**_

"_**Yes, Sunshine," He told me gently as he pulled me into a tighter embrace. "Yes, we most certainly will."**_

_**End of Flashback**_

My father sighed. "Well Kalany won't be having her baby for another 3 months or more so it's a total that I'm not entirely sure of...She wants me to be there to support her and shes nervous that Galvin may get frustrated with the baby..." I nodded understanding. Kalany was always worrying over things that I completely believed to be pointless to worry about but I knew she did it mostly from her heart.

"Well I'm going to stay over at Tanya's...I'll be going over tonight..." I kissed his cheek then began to walk towards the door. I felt something tear at my eyes. I turned to my dad and ran to him and engulfed him in a hug. Somehow I felt that this may be one of the last time I would ever be able to hold him in my arms.

"I love you Daddy..."

X X X X X

I walked down the road from my own house towards Tanya's house and I was scared...inside and out. I had never been what you'd call a girl who's good with males. I would always shy away whenever one started talking to me...I had never been on a date thanks you my Dad's hectic job life and I was never a stable person to even consider dating someone. I got to Tanya's house and knocked lightly, smiling when I heard the sound of pounding feet. Suddenly the door swung open, flinging cold air into my face, and standing there in the doorway...was Ryoko.

"Oh my gosh, Tanya wasn't joking! When Tanya called to tell me you'd be coming with us, I was completely **thrilled**! **Ecstatic**! Come on! I'm so doing your makeup." Giggling, she dragged me upstairs where I greeted Tanya with a light hug and I started getting ready.

"I hope you brought something cute! By the way, how long is your Dad gonna be gone for?" Ryoko's voice rung in my ears as I changed into my outfit. It was annoying to hear that question coming from her but I figured whatever.

"He doesn't know this time around." I pulled up my blue jean skirt to where it rested nicely on my hips. My shirt was cream colored and had a picture of a cherry blossom tree with falling petals all in soft colors. I even pulled on some slick 1 inch open toed black heels and walked out the bathroom.

"I just can't believe it...I'm gonna be an Aunty!!" I screeched and we all squealed and giggled. After the excitement died down, they checked out my outfit and gave me thumbs up.

"Oh nice outfit Mae! I guess you can pull a nice one together." Ryoko complimented with a wink. Ryoko was wearing too much of a shade of blue but it still brought out her eyes and wore a tight green and blue miniskirt with a shimmer blue tube top. To me, she looked like she just wanted to get some action. On the other hand, Tanya wore a knee length curvy black spaghetti strapped dress that brought out her skin tone and had on natural makeup that almost made her look like she had none on at all.

"Alright Mae! You look gorgeous, now time for your hair!" Tanya was always playing with my naturally curly brown hair in school so I was half expecting her to jump to the occasion. As she played with my hair, my eyes wandered to the full body mirror Tanya hung on the back of her bedroom door and focused more on my unusual eye color, more like colors. I used to get picked on about my two colored eyes and it made me become extremely self-conscious about how I looked. My left eye was a blue-grey color while the other one was green with brown flecks sprinkled in them. When I heard Tanya sigh I stood and glanced again at the mirror. Tanya always knew how to play out my curls. She pinned a bun on the back of my head and had my messy curls falling out in several ways. I was amazed that she wasn't a professional at what she did so well at.

Once everything was settled, Tanya's mom drove us to the address Ryoko gave to her. I was a little surprised that Tanya's mom had so much faith in her. The club music was radiating through the thick cement walls. Tanya's mom pulled up to the side walk closest to the club and gave us all stern looks.

"Now you three, be careful ok? Call if you need a quick pick up. Have fun!" She called out to us before she left us standing alone on the sidewalk. We passed the bouncer, who winked over at Ryoko as she swished her butt from side to side, and made it inside. I held my hand to my ears hoping that they would adjust soon. The music was enormously loud and it made my ears scream to shut it off but I smiled at Tanya and Ryoko and lowered my arms from my ears.

"Come on lets dance!" Ryoko suggested enthusiastically. I knew that Ryoko had a crazy love for dancing and being the star of everything. I knew nothing of dancing except for the Ballroom classes my father made me go in and Ballet but both of those were definitely not meant to be done in a top class party club like where we were. I gave them both a small smile.

"I'll go find a table guys. You two have fun." I told them waving at them as they happily joined the throng of meshed bodies on the dance floor. I sighed as I sat down at a table close to the back where there were less people around. Suddenly a guy came up to me smiling a bright smile and I couldn't help but feel heat rush to my face. He turned to the group of guys beside him and began to walk over to me, his cold gaze sent shivers up my spine.

"Whats a beautiful lady like yourself sitting all alone in the dark?" he asked his voice making me dizzy. Suddenly I felt his cold fingers against my skin and instantly my guard went up. Something about this guy didn't feel quite right.

"Uh..."

"Don't worry I know a place even more secluded." He said grabbing my upper arm fiercely and pulling me towards the back of the club and up the stairs where, as I've heard the stories Ryoko told me, couples did...shameful things to each other. He soon led me to a darkly lit room where the rest of his guys smiled at me menacingly. I then realized just what they were planning to do with me and with that realization; I began to struggle against the guy's grip. He growled at me and threw me onto the molded unwashed bed that was spread mainly in the room.

"You bitch! How dare you turn away from me! No one turns away from me!" He yelled angrily, slapping me harshly across the face. I could feel the bruise forming on the side of my face. He and his goons then began to attack me, shredding my clothes, slapping me every time I made an attempt to yell. Finally my bravery got the better of me and I screamed continuously hoping someone would come to my aid. Suddenly I could feel the cool air around me touch and tickle in places that were suppose to be closed from unwanted eyes. Then just as the man from before was approaching me, I screamed so loud and held my arms in front of my body. A flash of heavenly bright blue light shot out around my body, throwing all 8 guys away from my clad body.

"What the hell was that?" I asked myself looking at my hands in pure shock. Then fear rose up again as I heard the door to the room burst open and there 4 guys filed into the room looking around franticly. I was so scared that they were more of the guy's goons so I moved away from them silently as I could.

They all had different features that the guy's from before didn't have. Almost all four of them were extremely handsome and...natural. The one closest to me had oil slicked back black hair and penetrating chocolate brown eyes and wore a light blue shirt with tight jeans that seemed to cling to his skin. He stood about the 3rd tallest out of the four. The boy behind him had curly orange hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. He wore a peach colored shirt and dark green pants that were big but hugged his lower torso and he stood about 6 feet. The next one had blood red hair and piercing green eyes that seem to catch everything unnoticed. He wore a white dress shirt and figure hugging black pants with rose prints on his right side, and stood about 5'11". The last one was the shortest about 3 inches taller than my own 4'8" height. He had gravity defying black hair and menacingly dark crimson eyes and a white bandana on his forehead. He wore a plain black outfit that had a sleeveless top to it that showed off his rather outspoken muscles. Each of them looked at me and then all of them turned their eyes away from my clad body. I pulled a blanket over my body. Even with their eyes turned away I was still shy but their turned faces gave me some courage.

"Well...what do you guys want?" They didn't pay any attention to my question just to the damage I caused.

"Wow seems you did a pretty good job on your own." The one closest to me commented. I glared at him with fiery hatred and slid to the side of the bed to stand. I pulled the blanket completely around my body then walked over to him and stuck my finger into his chest, making him stare down at me shocked and confused.

"Listen here mister! I don't know who you think you are but..." I stopped my eyes drooping and I felt my legs give out from underneath me and my mind went blank. Botan and Keiko ran into the room gasping at the scene that laid out before them; the boy holding an unconscious Maeryn. Botan cleared her throat.

"Well...I've already informed Tanya and Ryoko of what happened to Maeryn. We need to take her someplace safe. Tanya said that she would put Maeryn's clothes over at my house." All of them, excluding the short guy, exchanged looks. Then finally, the boy with the chocolate brown eyes stood holding Maeryn's unconscious body in his arms.

"Why not take her to my house. Mom won't be home for several hours. Ben's taking her out tonight, so I've got the whole house to myself." Botan was ecstatic!

"Oh Yusuke that's wonderful! Lets go before more of those guys show up." Botan turned and walked downstairs with Keiko who eyed the boy worriedly. Soon they all filed one by one down the stairs, out the door, down the street and entered Yusuke's house all in complete silence. Yusuke walked over to his room and laid Maeryn down on his bed and covered her completely from view, except for her head and then joined the group back in the living room.

"Botan we can't just leave her to defend for her self!! And she has no clue who they are!" Keiko voice strongly pointing towards the boys. Botan sighed.

"We have no choice. Koenma put her in my charge. I have to watch over her." She told Keiko sadly. Yusuke rested his hand on Botan's shoulders.

"What exactly does Koenma have in mind for her?" Yusuke asked solemnly. Botan looked in the direction of his room.

"He wants us to somehow get her to the Spirit World consciously and he'll explain the rest there." Botan told the gang firmly. Yusuke nodded but Keiko just didn't understand. Maeryn was her childhood friend, just like Yusuke she was too shy to possibly be anything close to what Yusuke was.

"But we have to do something about how shes...dressed..." the orange hair guy pointed out with a deep blush on his face. It was true; her nakedness would pose as a problem for them.

"Hn, you moron, clothes are the least of this pathetic ningen's problems." The shortest guy said coldly. The other guy glared heatedly at him.

"Look here shrimp! No one asked for you smart-ass comments!" Botan stood between them and glared at both of them.

"Kuwabara, Hiei calm down. We can borrow some of Yusuke's mom's clothes to dress her, but Hiei does have a point." Keiko stood.

"I'll go do that right now." They waited until Keiko was completely out of ear shot before asking the real questions.

"What exactly is so special about her Botan?" Yusuke asked curiously. Botan frowned at the question and looked in the direction of where the unconscious girl now slept. It was all a complete wonder as to what exactly was so special about her. Even Botan didn't know why Koenma needed to talk to her so badly. He only told her that it was urgent and that the Spirit Detectives were to keep an extra close eye on her and make sure that she stayed out of harms way. But Botan knew that Yusuke wanted an honest answer and that was what she was going to give him.

"I really don't fully know. I really just don't know."

X X X X X

I heard the voices and the sounds before I gave into my conscious self. I groaned and turned my head from side to side, my face contorted in a disgruntled disposition. I peeked my eye lids open to see shapes of people around me. It was the same people that I saw before I blacked out.

'What...who are they?' I opened my eyes further to see that not only were those four boys around me but also Botan and Keiko. I opened my mouth to speak but no sound came out. It burned to try and make a sound but I tried again. But still it was the same as before. I tried to pulled myself up into a sitting position but my arms felt like they were on fire and I was softly but firmly pushed back down. Botan sat closer to me.

"Are you alright Maeryn? Those guys didn't do anything to you did they?" she asked completely concerned. I grunted and shook my head. 'Guys...' oh that's right, the guys from the club that tried to...

"No..." I managed to squeak finding my voice somewhere in my body, "they didn't do anything...at least not yet they didn't." my voice was becoming stronger, that was a plus. "But I'm not completely fine. My arms feel like their on fire." Botan gave a sigh of relief then she looked at me giving me a serious expression.

"Listen Maeryn, theres something that I have to tell you. I know this may seem strange but those men were Incubus or sex demons." I stared at her disbelieving.

"Demons?"

"Yes, and I'm the assistant to the Prince of the Spirit World and guide to the Spirits meant to pass through the Spirit World or the Reikai. These boys," she motioned to the four boys from before, "are his Spirit Detectives, Yusuke Urameshi, Kuwabara Kazuma, Kurama or Shuichi and Hiei." I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

'Why tell me all of this?' I started to laugh uncomfortably.

"And let me guess, Keiko is another on of you guys? Why tell me this? What exactly does this have to do with me?"

"Well...because Prince Koenma would like a word with you..." I stared at her like had just lost all the sanity she ever had. I told you she was a strange one in my book.

"Hell FUCKING NO!" I yelled rising from the bed despite the screaming pain that rushed through my body as soon as I put pressure on my arms. I pulled the covers off my body and made my way out to the door. "You guys are really fucking nuts! You honestly expect me to believe you guys!? Then your crazier than I thought!"

"Wait Maeryn!"

"Hn...dumb onna..." I turned fiercely to the short guy, Hiei, and stuck my finger in his face.

"Excuse me!? I'm not just 'woman' I have a name. So use it!" I yelled ignoring the glare of rage that he shot in my direction and I walked right out the door and into the night.

"Maeryn, I know it may sound unbelievable but trust me this is true!" Botan called out to me but I ignored her call and continued to walk in the direction of my house. I was surprised to find that whoever's house I was just at was only a few blocks away from Tanya's house. I didn't even bother thinking about the cloths that I had over at her house. The only thought that ran through my head was to get home. I didn't even notice that I had on someone else's clothes and a few shady people were following close behind me. Botan stood in front of Yusuke's house hopeless. Yusuke put a comforting hand on a defeated Botan's shoulder.

"Don't worry Botan we'll bring her back, you just get Keiko home and go meet up with Koenma. We'll get her there." Yusuke told her before walking down the same street Maeryn walked just a few seconds ago. Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei soon caught up and all four remained silent. Botan turned to Keiko.

"Come on lets get you home."

Meanwhile with Yusuke and the gang, Kuwabara was starting to get a bit fidgety. Finally he couldn't take it anymore. The silence was killer.

"She could get hurt again! Why isn't she listening to us!? Doesn't she have any sense?!" Yusuke sighed but refused to look at him.

"Because Kuwabara, she doesn't know what to believe...Shes lost. She doesn't know if she should believe or not..." Yusuke understood how it sounded to suddenly be confronted with the whole thing about the Reikai or that Botan was in certain details the Grim Reaper or that Koenma even existed. He just hoped she would come along with them.

"Hn...the onna is just being a dumb ningen." Kuwabara turned on Hiei.

"Why you...!!"

"Both of you," Kurama separated them, "that fighting will do us no good." He said before he walked over to Yusuke concern clearly all over his face.

"Do you really think that we'll be able to get her to listen and come with us?" He asked quietly. Yusuke shrugged helplessly but still determined.

"I really don't know Kurama, all I know is..."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" they all looked at each other and then ran toward the direction that the ear piercing scream came from.

I stormed into my house confused, angry, and frightened all at the same time. It was really confusing. By the story Botan told me, I just...couldn't believe that... and that Koenma guy, what did...no what could he possibly want with me? I was nothing special just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. I was shocked to see that Keiko actually was or had known about the whole Spirit thing. As I walked down the hallway and into the living room, I heard something crash. I turned and there were the guys from before standing, staring at me menacingly. I felt my stomach jump into my throat but the only sound that came out of my mouth was an ear piercing scream and I felt my body come back to life then I turned and began running away from them all throughout the house.

Yusuke and the others arrived in time to hear another scream erupt from inside the house. Yusuke, not caring tore down the door with his Spirit gun and they found that the guys from before had come back for round two. They had her cornered by the stair case and were slowly closing in. The boys all saw the face that Maeryn had plastered on her face; pure fright.

"Get me OUT of here!" I screamed as I slipped past the demons and ran in the boys direction with an unusual speed and agility that I never knew I had. I made it all the way to where Yusuke stood before Hiei, Kurama and Kuwabara blocked the guys from me. Yusuke pulled me up bridal style and ran out the house with the others soon following right behind us. I clung onto him for dear life hoping for some way to get away from those guys. I shut my eyes away from the world around me, and I hoped dearly that those guys didn't hurt the other boys. The feeling even surprised myself. Suddenly I felt my stomach do a summer Sault and then...everything stopped. I heard Yusuke's deep but softly husky voice whisper in my ear that made heat rush to my face.

"You can open your eyes now." Upon command, one of my eyes peeked then the other one opened. I stared around the room my mouth gaping open just standing in awe as Yusuke set me down on my own two feet. The room was enormous! Filled with lots of ogres running around, and bright color tapestries, large golden doors, long hallways and large columns, and at a rather large wooden desk sat a small...boy with a...was that a binky??

"Thank goodness your alright Maeryn! You had me worried sick!" Botan walked over to be in a beautiful pink old fashion kimono with Cherry Blossom prints on it and a deep blue obi around her waist. I smiled sheepishly at her. I hated to make people worry and somehow I couldn't help but feel that somehow I would be doing that a lot especially to her and a few others.

"So nice of you to join us Maeryn." The guy with the binky said, despite his childish appearance, his voice held much authority.

"Alright binky butt, what do you want with her?" Yusuke said sarcastically smiling as he sat down on the cough to the side of the room that I had failed to notice before. I smiled as Botan glared at him and whacked him over the head with some sort of oar she held in her hands.

"Maeryn, I am Prince Koenma, son of King Enma. I have sent for you for something important that you must know before its too late. Maeryn, you are an Aetheran." He said pausing for effect. I stood there stunned at what this guy was telling me.

'I'm a...whatever that is?! What the hell?!'

"What exactly is that?" I asked completely skeptical. Botan sighed in the background. She seemed to know that I was going to be a difficult person to deal with.

"An Aetheran, a very, VERY rare species of demon. There are only 2 in the entire world on the good side. Since you are so rare, we have personally felt it of extreme importance that we see you are kept...safe." He continued. I was still skeptical.

" 'Safe'? What the hell!" I heard Botan gasped, and Yusuke chuckled. "Look I don't mean to be rude or anything...but I think you've got the wrong person. I don't have magical powers and I'm certainly not anything special or rare." I told him turning away. He jumped down from his desk and stood a good distance away from me.

"Well then I guess if you weren't so 'special' or 'rare' you wouldn't be able to guard yourself. Hiei is a fire demon and is very skilled with a katana. Yusuke is a spirit fighter and is of demon descent. Kurama is also a demon. Hiei has unbelievable speed, I'm sure that I can prove your special." I looked from Koenma to the guy Hiei who I yelled at earlier tonight. I knew I was definitely in trouble. Suddenly he was gone in a flash and appeared right before me. All I had time to do was bring my arms up to my face and look away from the damage. But I felt nothing touch my skin. Curiously, I looked up to see the same blue colored thing from before surrounding my body. I was in a state of shock but there Botan stood smiling widely and Hiei halfway stunned more like angry and he walked away from me. I looked over to Koenma and slowly brought my arms down, gasping when the shield disappeared. Koenma smiled at me and walked closer to where I stood.

"You are indeed special, a true one of a kind, Maeryn. You are more special than you or any of us realize." I breathed in deeply and fully released it.

"Ok so...if I'm what...you say I am, what exactly is that?" I asked curiously.

"You are an Aetheran, born every 1000 years. You have all the powers of an Elemental and more."

"More?" Koenma nodded.

"You have the powers to control all of Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth and since you are the only know Aetheran who remains on the good side...well we will just have to have you train, gain experience when dealing with your powers. Maybe then I could do some more research about your kind, or just you in general, and let you know. In the time being," He turned and with a wave of his hand opened some sort of passage way out of thin air right beside the doorway where we first came in. Through the doorway was what looked like... a house?

"You will be living in the same house as my Spirit Detectives. Botan will come and check up on you in a few days." He finished. I stood there shocked. He just quickly dismissed us like were his slaves?! I didn't handle that all too well nor did I handle the face that I would be living with four other guys...by myself. It was like I had just been thrown in the deep fires of Hell. Yusuke came around to my back side and began to push me toward the thing that showed me to the house. I noticed that as I was lost in my thoughts, the others had already gone ahead.

"Maeryn, it's a portal. Do be careful and I'll come as soon as Koenma allows me. And I'll come with lots of clothes." Botan said winking at me. I smiled sheepishly and Yusuke pushed me all the way in. Just as before, I felt the familiar sensation of my stomach lifting then sinking in my body. Yusuke placed a what seemed to be an attempt to comfort me, hand on my shoulder.

"Welcome to your new home, Maeryn."

'Just what exactly have I gotten myself into this time!?'

X X X X X

**Well there you have it people! The first chapter of my first Yu Yu Hakusho story EVER!! I hope you like it! **

**Just what exactly is an Aetheran? What makes her so much more special than an Elemental? Continue reading and you'll find out.**

**PS Aetheran is pronounced E-ther-ann. The A is silent. **

**Enjoy! Chapter 2 TBA R&R!**


	2. Aetheran Training Begins

**Welcome back everyone! **

**I know its been a while since the last chapter and well I will be honest it is entirely my fault. Writing 6 stories at once on top of college and work haha well lets just say I'm pretty much setting myself up for exhaustion haha. But as a writer and I'm sure many of you will agree, setting time against a heavy schedule is what a writer does. They write even when things around them are going way beyond their control.**

**Now I would like to thank all the readers for being so patient with me. I truly appreciate it. But I would like to make an announcement for all – My stories are taking a very big stand still off and on. But I'll write as often as I can**

**Well now on to what all of your readers have been waiting on…**

**Chapter 2!**

**XXX**

**RECAP**

"_**Welcome to your new home."**_

_**'Just what exactly have I gotten myself into this time?!'**_

**XXX**

I looked at the house that spread out before me. It looked like any normal house should look like but somehow…it seemed different. The house stood about two to three stories tall and was painted with a light blueish color that seemed to blend in with the cloudless sky. It was like a silhouette in the background of evergreens that seemed to reach as high as the sky and grassy greens of the yard. It was actually a very calming sight. As I gazed at the sight of the pretty secluded house, the wind blew and brushed around my body almost in a tickling manner but it seemed to want to soothe, and it felt warm almost careful not to frighten or make rash movements. I smiled at the kindness of something you couldn't see or touch that swarmed all around me. The place had such a calming atmosphere. It was like everywhere you could hear it or see everything taking to a different tune. It was so calming that I almost forgot that Yusuke was still standing beside me and that the others had already gone inside the house. I glanced over at him suspiciously and heard him give a little chuckled and I stepped a little bit away from him, feeling a fiery heat rise to my face. His smile sort of slacked by my actions.

"You know, when you smile this place seems to really calm down quite a bit. Its almost as if its rejoicing." My blush deepened. He laughed open heartedly. It was really quite strange to be in the company of so many men but this one seemed a bit…odd. Normal guys don't usually act the way he has and they don't usually speak about whats around them or the like. It was quite odd to hear it. "Come on, I'm sure Kurama is fixing lunch right about now. After all, we guys need to have every meal. Its not good to see us males without our regular meals." He said laughing as he walked towards the house leaving me behind him. I frowned; after all the things that I've been through in the last few hours, each time he was there to save me and I never once thanked him. I decided then that it was now or never and I would rather take a now.

"Um wait…um…" He turned and gave me a steady even stare, his brown eyes holding a side of warmth and care.

"Yes?" Now or never…Are you a man or a mouse!? Definitely a woman.

"I just wanted to…thank you…for every time you had to save my butt…like from those…things…" I said to him softly slightly hanging my head down. He smiled at me and walked back over to me and placed his arm around my shoulder.

"Its not a big deal! That's what we do! We go around saving damsels like you from demons like those guys! Now come on, we need to get some serious meat on your bones! You look like your halfway starved!" I couldn't help but giggle at his silly notion about how I looked. He obviously didn't know anything about me or my habits which was a good thing mind you. We walked into the house and as Yusuke ran off to what I believed to be the kitchen, I checked out the inside of the house. Kuwabara was sitting on a couch in the living room, yelling outrageously at the TV as he watched wrestlers beat each other up into bloody pulps while Hiei sat quietly in the window seat silent and unmoving almost as if he was a statue meant to sit for hours unmoving. The inside of the house was a lot bigger than it seemed from the outside. The kitchen had an area all of its own and the living room was directly across the hall from the doorway and all around the bottom floor were wide glass windows that were about 10 feet high and about 7 feet wide. It was as if all the sunshine in the world wanted to come into the house at one time and the house was agreeing with it. It was a lovely house indeed, and off to the side was a staircase that swirled up to most likely the second floor but it gave a sense of mysterious and interest to one's curiosity.

"Hey Mae!" I turned at the sound of my name to see Kurama and Yusuke standing in the doorway of the Kitchen. It was quite strange to hear my nickname that my friends usually called me being used by someone I had only just met last night. Yusuke smiled warmly but with a hint of boyish mischievousness in his eyes and Kurama smiled….it almost reminded me of my father's smile…It was a sad, secretive smile, one that didn't reach both ears. But he seemed to be in good spirits, why so sad then?

"Well Maeryn, what do you think of your new home for the next few weeks?" I smiled gingerly and giggled a little. I think the sunshine was making me high or something.

"Completely…not what I had in mind." I giggled again. Gosh was there really something wrong with me? "So Kurama I hear that the food you make is quite excellent." I asked walking into the Kitchen and straight over to the table and sat down.

"Well so they say." He said modestly smiling. Yusuke rolled his eyes and sat down beside me.

"Could I have some?" Yusuke started laughing loudly and patted my back.

"Sure you can! After all the trials you've been through, Kurama you just have to whip up some of your wonderful tasty food for her!" At the very mention of food, Kuwabara seemed to leap over the couch and through the other door to the kitchen beside the dining table, now why hadn't I noticed that before, and jumped into the next chair beside Yusuke almost toppling both boys over in the process. I just stared at the scene. He was practically drooling at the mouth, his eyes twinkling, almost as if he hadn't eaten in days.

"Food!" I laughed…and laughed…and laughed until tears formed in my eyes and my sides burned from the constant squeezing. I couldn't stop it. It just wouldn't stop, I couldn't stop laughing and it hurt to breath. Yusuke joined in with me after a while and then we all erupted into a fit of laughter with Kurama gazing from across the table and Hiei from afar. It was really…quite calming…it was one of the best feelings that I ever had in my entire life and I truly didn't want it to stop. I never realized it until now just how much fun having guys around could really truly be. Sure I had a father and a brother, but once my brother turned 19, he stopped being much fun and started getting serious and father was well my father. It truly was a refreshing to have a different atmosphere than what I normally did. Kurama turned away from us while our laughter slowed and almost ceased but peaked here and there because of Yusuke and Kuwabara fighting made me laugh. He fixed us all some plates of food to fill us up for that part of the day. For only one meal, it was really delicious and I made sure Kurama knew how I felt about his meal. I leaned back rubbing my imaginary over sized belly and released a big sigh when all the food on the table was gone.

"Oh goodness Kurama! You really should make this into a profession! You would make a wonderful chief! That was so delicious, its unbelievable!" I giggled at my uncontrollable behavior while Kurama smiled sweetly down at me.

"Well thank you for the compliment Maeryn, I'm glad you liked the food."

"Its kind of hard not to like Kurama's food. He spoils us by always cooking." Yusuke commented laughing gingerly. Kuwabara sighed and made lots of noises of delight. It was strange to see so many different personalities all together and they all seemed to get along so well. Kurama was so kind hearted and didn't seem to know how to ever raise is voice while Hiei was so silent it was a wonder that he ever moved. How could so many different people live so well together but yet they argue so much? What could have brought all these boys together? I sighed and got out of the chair I was sitting in. Yusuke and Kuwabara were stuck in their argument about what wrestler was better than the other and I didn't have any part of the argument. It was pointless in my opinion. I stood by the counter.

"May I go to my room and shower please? I still feel quite dirty from last nights horrible transgressions." Kurama's eyebrows knitted together.

"Of course! We have two other floors; the floor for all the bedrooms and a floor that leads to the roof. I'm sure you won't ever go on that floor but yes, I'm sure you'll be able to find it but if you go up the stairs it's the last room to the left." He said smiling. I nodded at him and returned his smile.

"Thank you." I moved off the counter and gave a big stretch before I walked out of the kitchen and made my way over to the stairs. I was oddly curious as to what my room would like. You would think that it would look much like a guys room than anything else, since it was a house with four males. I got to the top step and spotted the door Kurama told me about and cautiously approached the door. Taking a deep breath, I turned the door knob and walked into the room. The room was really big almost like the masters bedroom. The flooring was a soft beige color and the walls were brightly decorated with all kinds of colors; of bright greens to light lavenders and pinks even neon colors were sprinkled all around the room. There was a large French window on the other side of my bedroom and the sunshine that seeped into the room, creating a golden glow. The bed was colored with deep red sheets and blankets and the bed itself was made of cherry wood, its reddish warmth gave me a sense of comfort. On the other side of the bedroom in between two doors was a large Elk dresser with about 5 shelves. If only I had clothes to put in it. I walked over to one of the doors by the dresser and found it to be a closet, a rather large closet. Walking over to the other door, I discovered it to be the bathroom, but I would have to explore that more later. I approached the French windows, unlocked the latch and opened the window as wide as it would go. I breathed in the calming air, trying to relax my anxious nerves that were beginning to rise again as I thought about the situation I suddenly found myself to be in.

"I'm stuck…in a house…with four other guys…I go from staying away from one guy to ending up having to live in a house with four guys all who seem single and are definitely hormonal…Great…this should be interesting…Ryoko would laugh if she could see me now…" I said to myself before walking back over to the bathroom. I didn't know what clothes I was going to change into what with all my clothes being at my house which was probably in shreds or the clothes she left at Tanya's. Either way she was still without clothes and she still needed to take a bath. I opened each of the cupboards and found white fluffy towels and a few white robes made of the same fabric. I smiled, it was something. Turning on the bath water to the temperature that I liked, I got undressed and got into the shower, sighing as the hot water trickled down my body, soothing all the kinks and knots out of my system. I soon became lost in my own little world.

XXXX

"Boys!"

They all turned around to the door to see Botan standing there holding onto several large bags, its contents were all unknown to them. The secret smile she only wore when she had something up her sleeves imprinted in their mind. All except Hiei stared at her with confusion on their faces. His face remained totally blank as if not caring whatever was that she was bringing.

"Whats with all those bags, eh Botan? Going on a trip that we didn't know about?" Yusuke asked her sarcastically. She glared at him and smacked him with arm full of the bags.

"These are not for me you numbskull. These are for your new roommate. That is unless you boys have some sort of odd fascination with wearing girl's clothes." She laughed at Yusuke's red face as she walked in and set the bags down with a sigh of relief.

"What does she need with all these…stuff?" Kuwabara asked curiously. She laughed at the question.

"Well Kuwabara unless you don't mind the thought of a naked girl walking around the house, well then you wouldn't understand." Every face turned red even Hiei's. Kuwabara's nose started to bleed. "If you don't want that to happen, I suggest that you tell me where exactly she is so that I can spare you the embarrassment and give her these clothes." Coughing, Kurama walked over to her and picked up some of the bags from the floor. Yusuke and Kuwabara were still on the floor from shock. Kurama smiled at her, making a light pink color spread across her face.

"She went upstairs in the last open room to the left. She said she wanted to go take a shower since she felt dirty from yesterday. Here, I'll help you bring up some of her new things."

"Uhm… sure. Thank you Kurama."

"My pleasure." They walked up the stairs, leaving the other boys downstairs to deal with their own embarrassment the way they usually handle everything else. Kurama and Botan walked in silence, but it was a calming silence, a peaceful silence. Botan knew that Kurama wasn't like Yusuke or Kuwabara who took their fair share in spreading obnoxious moments of their perverted minds but he was more conservative, thoughtful, kind. She had grown to enjoy Kurama's company. It was different than the usually rowdy company she shared with Yusuke, Kuwabara and on some occasions Hiei. But that kind of enjoyment that Botan tended to keep to herself, kept hidden away from everyone even Yusuke and she was wondering if she would have to try harder to hide it from Maeryn or if she wouldn't notice it at all. When they reached Maeryn's room, they heard the shower running and saw the window wide open creating a little lightness to the room. They walked in and set the bags down on the floor beside the bed and looked at each other and around the room in an awkward silence. Kurama finally cleared his throat and they both smiled at each other, and the same pink shade rose to Botan's cheeks. Was there a pink tinge on Kurama's cheek?

"Uhm…thanks Kurama for helping me with these bags…You really didn't need to help though…" Botan said a little embarrassed but at least it wasn't silent and awkward anymore. Kurama only smiled even softer at her.

"You are more than welcome, Botan." He looked around awkwardly then began moving towards the door. "Well since Maeryn has had a traumatic day last night, I don't want her to get the wrong impression about where my mind set is." Botan laughed as she walked him to the door.

"You? Have the mind set of a pervert? Never, but you do have a point. She doesn't trust guys easily so it may not be a good start. I'll be down shortly. If you can spare an extra place for me during dinner, I'll be more than grateful." Botan asked Kurama sweetly. Before he walked out of the room, he looked at her and gave her a slightly too-warm-to-be-friends kind of smile causing another blush to rise.

"Theres plenty of room for you to stay and eat with us Botan. We'll be more than happy to have you here for dinner. We'll see you when you come down. Besides, I think Mae will feel more comfortable with having another girl around at least until she gets used to us." He told her, then closed the door lightly leaving Botan almost breathless. It was moments like these where she had to take a moment and calm her beating heart and wish that he didn't notice anything. Or did she want him to know?

Meanwhile in the bathroom, I turned off the hot water after finishing the rinse process for both my body and hair. It was good to feel extremely clean and even though the water was no longer running, I could still feel it's warmth. I wrapped myself up tightly in one of the robes from the cupboard and looked at myself in the full length mirror that hung on the back of the bathroom door. Staring back at me were the same pair of strange eyes that I had always resented or grown to seeing everyday of my life. My skin was still pale no matter how many hours I spent in the sun; I always remained the same pale color I had always been. My hair was still dripping water on the floor unruly and wild as ever. Even though I was clean and still wet from the shower, I was still a mess, a complete and total wreck but the water did relax me and the tension I has stored in my body from the horribly frightening evening to the suddenly finding out that I was a demon called an…Aetheran was washed out of my system. Sighing, I walked out of the bathroom and stopped when I saw Botan look over at me and smiled as she continued some chore of pulling out something from a bunch of bags that sat nicely on my new bed.

"I told you that I would be here as soon as I was let off to come see you." Botan explained noting the probably noticeable state of confusion I was in. But still, I smiled widely, almost reaching ear to ear, and ran over to her, nearly tackling her in a massive hug. After a few maybe hours or minutes with a few boys I was beginning to think that no girls were ever going to be allowed near me. Being around these boys was a complete culture change, even if it was fun, I still wasn't quite comfortable of the idea of living with four boys and me being the only girl.

"Oh gosh Botan, you have no idea just how glad I am to see you!" I began and released her from my grip but I held onto her hands and looked into her pink confused eyes. "Its such a shock to the idea that I'm actually going to be living in a huge house alone with four other guys! Its way different from living with my father and brother! I mean Botan, my father was gone half the time and my brother hasn't lived in the same house as us for the last….4 or 5 years!" Botan laughed.

"It'll be alright Mae, You'll get used to living with them and besides, they're just kids at heart, they really are."

"Except for Hiei. He doesn't seem to have a good bone in his body from where I'm standing…"

"Ah yes…he does come off that way doesn't he…but once he warms up to you and sees that you're not like every girl, you'll see. I've known him for quite a while and he still treats me the same as the first day I met him. Kurama though, hes a sweetheart. When I first met him, he was only stealing a rare artifact to save his mother from her death. It truly was a charitable moment. Kuwabara is just a big giant bear, and he has a thing for kittens. Yusuke…"

"What?"

"Well lets just say Yusuke has come a long way. He used to be a real stubborn, hard headed, delinquent who just got into fights all the time for the heck of it and didn't care about anyone but himself… But hes changed he really has. And I think a few people see it…Quite a few. Keiko just adores him."

"Keiko?"

"Her and Yusuke have known each other ever since they were children. I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up dating sooner or later. I really do hope they do. They're so right for one another." She giggled and I joined in. It was so good to be able to talk to a girl and not think about anything like about 'demon training' or the four boys that were downstairs…Then I finally noticed what she was unpacking from all the bags.

"Clothes?"

"Yes, for you. Underwear, bras, shirts, pants, skirts, sweatpants, long-sleeved shirts, you name it and it'll be there. Lets jus say I went on a shopping spree after I explained to Koenma that you had no other clothes than the ones on your body. He delightfully let me off and I just went wild." She laughed. "But after all, we girls need some variety in our styles." She explained as she continued. I watched for a few minutes and until something occurred to me.

"What about all of my clothes?" Botan's smile faded. She didn't want to remind her of the incident from last night but it looked to be the only way to answer her question.

"Well, after the incident of the club, we had to bring you some where safe which was Yusuke's house and we borrowed some of his mother's clothes to cover you up. Then after the other incident of your house, which was found this morning by your neighbor, we had to do a bit of covering up so your old house is being…fixed." My smile slacked then I shrugged.

"Its alright Botan. It was my fault my house became the way it did. I shouldn't have run off like I did when I wasn't quite sure what was going on. I just hope Koenma isn't too mad at me for not believing what he said." Botan smiled and sat down beside me.

"Mae, you are not the only one who had trouble believing all this at first. Yusuke died when he ran into a car to save a little boy that we up in the Reikai never expected him to do. He died before his time and sadly we had no place for him at that moment so he was actually a ghost per say. During the circumstances of his trials, Keiko and Kuwabara found out also what happened to him differently than we had expected as well." I could only nod. I still felt horrible for the actions that took place last night but I knew I couldn't take them back. Botan didn't seem convinced that I understood. "Mae, your going to have trouble especially when you only found out in one night. You weren't explained all of this nor did you know that any of this was real. Its going to be difficult for you." I sighed.

"I'll tell you one thing though Botan,"

"What?"

"I still don't know what to make of this whole…Aetheran thing… I mean, controlling elements, being able to shield myself….the blue thing really threw me off balance…I just don't know what to make of it all…" I sighed again as she placed an assuring hand on my shoulder before getting back up and finishing the last of her task.

"Its going to be hard for a while, but maybe once you start your training, you'll see that you really are what we're telling you you are." I couldn't help but feel a bit of skepticism about what she had just told me. As if training can bring out my 'powers.'

"There it is! All done! Now go on ahead and change, Koenma wants to see you before dinner." She ordered smiling as she started to fold all the bags one by one and sat down on the side of my bed beside me. Shrugging I walked over to my dresser and pulled just a few basic things out; a bra, underwear, a pair of skinny blue jeans and a purple tank top with speckles of blues and spider webs.

"What does he want with me exactly?" I asked as I put on all my clothes. Personally I liked the clothes Botan purchased for me. They were all better than anything in Ryoko's closest that was a given but they were even better than Tanya's which was full of really great outfits.

"He wants to begin your training as soon as he can manage so hes going to give you all the details." She explained as I nodded. When I finished dressing myself, I presented myself to her with a bit of pizzazz.

"Ta da! Alrighty then, now lets go see Koenma and get his party started." I said giggling. She laughed as we walked down the stairs still talking about what my thoughts were about training. We walked downstairs and found 6 pairs of eyes facing us, we didn't even notice the extra pair of eyes that too stared us down. Under their intense gazes, I felt my face grow hot and I turned away from their eyes…Had I done something wrong??? Was there something on my face? Botan laughed.

"Your fine, you just look cute!" she whispered to me. "They're just checking you out." She explained and laughed when my face grew even redder.

"Where you guys going" Yusuke asked.

"Oh Koenma needs to see her before dinner time." Botan said looking in Kurama's direction.

"What does Binky breath want with her? I thought he was done with her for the day?"

"Nope, afraid not. So now I'll be taking her to Koenma, and we'll both be back for dinner." Grabbing onto my wrist, Botan pulled me towards the door. I looked over my shoulder with one last glance to Yusuke and the others I said "I'm sorry you guys" before we walked through another portal to Koenma's office. All around us were ogres running around carrying huge stacks of papers all waiting to be signed by either the prince or the great King Enma. We walked in a little further towards Koenma's desk where he motioned for an ogre to go away and for us to come over.

"Ah yes there you both are, how were the accommodations Maeryn? Were they to your satisfaction? The house is quite large and you have lots of space where you can go and no one can find you so its quite ideal when you have four rowdy boys living together and they all end up getting into a tousle…" I laughed.

"Oh yes, all the clothes are put up and out of the way, and the house is by far extremely gorgeous and wonderful, I really do like it. By the way, thank you for letting Botan out early to get some clothes for me. They were an extreme life savor but anyways she said that you needed to speak to me about my training?" I inquired. Koenma nodded and sighed.

"Well as you know, you are very rare…and since you are so rare…I don't have any further information on you other than what I told you earlier today. My father should be coming home soon and since he has been searching for an Aetheran for thousands of years, he may know more about your kind. I'll ask him when he returns, in the mean time, I will have someone train you in your elemental powers until we know more of what you can do." He explained. I nodded understanding but I still was having trouble believing that I could really possibly have anything like powers over the elements and such. But I still knew that if I was what he was telling me I was for sure, I was going to need a lot of training.

"Who exactly is going to be training me?" I asked. His eyebrows furrowed in contort.

"Her name is Keaira. There are other and better elementals that could teach you but Keaira as the one that was in closest contact. You have to make appointments with Shu Fang to train with him because so many people want to learn from him. Hes a very powerful and wise elemental and hes lived the longest out of anyone of his kind. Hes lived to see well over three Aetherans in his lifetime and if you can get a chance, you'll be his fourth. So I don't know what else to do but to allow Keaira to teach you, at least for the time being." I nodded but I couldn't help but notice that he didn't seem to have any confidence in this girl. My guard would have to be up whenever or if I ever meet this Keaira.

"When does my training start?"

"Tomorrow morning at 10."

XXXXX

Botan and I returned after our talk with the great Prince and it was needless to say that I wasn't feeling all that excited. Botan noticed that I wasn't all that peppy once we made it back but she didn't say anything which I was grateful for. I didn't want anyone to see that I was really worried about what the next day would bring but that would have to come later. We walked inside the house and saw everyone in the living room, well everyone except Hiei. He was still sitting at the window.

"Hey you guys we're back." Botan called out with me right behind her. We walked over to the table. I sat down beside Yusuke while Botan went into the kitchen most likely to help Kurama cook dinner.

"So what did Binky Breath want with you Mae?" I sighed.

"He just wanted to tell me about when I'm training and stuff. No big deal." I said smiling hoping that it would pacify Yusuke. I really didn't want to tell him the full truth but then again I knew I should have…

"Dinners done!" I smiled at Botan. 'Thank you my savior Botan!' We all watched at she and Kurama set the table with all the delicious food that Kurama had originally started but Botan finished. While we ate and listened to Yusuke and Kuwabara fight and Botan telling them off, I couldn't help but noticed the blush she wore every time she and Kurama made eye contact. It wasn't a surprise. She was a cute girl, very pretty and Kurama was a very attractive guy, with a good personality and all. I could see why she didn't say yes to any of the guys at school. She had the same idea as I did; she was crushing on someone else. I decided then while I stuffed myself to keep my observations to myself and just let the chips fall where they may. After all if she hasn't said anything to anyone I don't think she would want someone new like me coming in saying things. After dinner I bid everyone an early good night and walked upstairs to my bedroom, hoping that I would get some sleep…I didn't count on that. I didn't really want to think about the girl that I would be meeting in only a few hours and I didn't want to think about what kind of training I would find myself being thrown into. Hours passed and I laid in bed listening to the goings-on of downstairs, listening as they each walked into their own room and listening as everything in the house became silent. Tossing and turning I finally just got out of bed and walked over to the window and opened it wide like I did when I first arrived and sat on the thick window sill. I know it was dangerous to sit on a window sill about 2 stories up especially when I still have yet to know what my powers were like, but I felt that maybe this would calm my over-active nerves. Something about the way Keaira was spoken about and the way her name came off my tongue it gave me an uneasy feeling. And I didn't usually get that uneasy feeling without some kind of plausible reason. It was already midnight when everyone went to bed, but soon midnight turned to one and one turned to two. I still couldn't sleep. It was frustrating that I couldn't somehow get to sleep when I knew that today was going to turn out to be hell. Sighing I got off the sill and rubbed my now numb butt. I didn't see how Hiei could sit there without moving for hours on end but my butt couldn't deal with that. I looked at my clock. It read 4 in the morning. It seemed like time was just going so slowly, causing me to torture myself with the awaiting agony. Finally I just couldn't take to pacing so I laid back in bed…still didn't work.

'UGH!"

I looked at my clock. It read 6 am. I shook my head; I wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight so I figured I might as well get up. Throwing the covers off my body, I got dressed for the upcoming day and preceded to the door. I opened the door as quietly as I could and tipped toed down the stairs. It was odd seeing the house as quiet as it was. I was used to seeing Kuwabara and Yusuke fighting and making a loud ruckus all over the house, which was strange because I usually was around peace and quiet what with my father working and helping to train new recruits and my brother being gone. Still, I didn't move for a bit and just looked around the rooms. It was in these moments where I could just stand and observe that I felt myself at peace. This was how things used to be at home and it felt like I could actually eventually call this place my home. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and just chowed down. I was beginning to feel the nerves rise just as my stomach seemed to rise up into my throat. I had no idea what to expect from Keaira, or how she would go about teaching me something that I had no idea who to do in the first place or that I even was what they were truly calling me. After finishing the apple I threw away the core and just sat back down. I didn't want to eat too much which I tended to do when I got nervous. That was one of the many things that Dad always tried to keep me from making into a habit. Either I would get really nervous about a test that was coming up the next day or some kind of exam and I would try eat a lot but my father would restrain me and tell me its better to be nervous with a slightly empty stomach than sick with a full one and end up throwing it all up.

'Oh Dad…' just thinking about him hurt…so I shook my head free of troubling thoughts and turned to the clock above the front door. It read 8: 45 am. I only had about an hour and a few minutes before my carrier of doom arrived. I sighed and then felt something soft touch my shoulder lightly. I turned to see Kurama smiling beside me.

"Are you alright Maeryn? You seem troubled…" He asked. I didn't speak right away but gave him a quick look-over before giving a response. He was indeed a very handsome guy and when he smiled, (which I noticed was mostly in Botan's direction), it was a kind smile, one that was full of patience. I nodded at him with a slight smile on my face.

"Yes, I'm fine." I lied. I knew lying was wrong but making a person worry over petty things was even worse. He looked like he was skeptical but he didn't press me further and walked into the kitchen, I guessed to start making the other guys breakfast. It was odd…three grown men relied a lot on just one person but then maybe they all of them relied well on each other. It was strange to see such dependability among guys.

"So when does your teacher get here?" He asked her, breaking her away from her thoughts.

"Koenma said that she should be here around 10…Hey Kurama, do you know a Keaira?" Kurama's head snapped in my direction, his face pale with shock. I didn't like that way he stared at me nor did I like the way his face suddenly went pale. My guard went up further. I knew my feelings weren't wrong.

"Keaira is going to be your teacher?" I nodded. He seemed to space out then looking over to the staircase and then to Hiei's window. "Well lets just hope that she stays away from Hiei…this is not going to turn out well…" I gazed at his suddenly strange behavior. She had a past with Hiei? Mister silent-grumpy-pants? That was a twist of reality that I wasn't exactly expecting. Of all people to have a history with a female I would have thought it would have been either Kurama or Yusuke. They both seemed to be ladies men, Yusuke with a perverted sexual drive and Kurama with his generosity. This was turning out to be more of a state of a soap opera than I thought it would be. I looked over at the clock not wanting to press Kurama with all the questions that were forming in my head. It read 9: 45 am. I only had 15 more minutes until this strange new comer arrived. I suddenly realized that I only had 15 more minutes until I was going to be hurled into the afterlife, oh wait! I was already there! I sighed and got out of my chair. Seeing Yusuke and Kuwabara walking downstairs groggily, I turned to Kurama.

"I'll be outside waiting. You hear someone dying, its just me." I said to him before walking briskly out the front door. I heard a light chuckle from him as the door closed behind me. I walked out a fair distance away from the house and sat down awkwardly cross legged on the soft grass. I started to meditate. It was like I was waiting for death to come and take me away to the afterlife. What a horrible feeling that was but deep down I wasn't scared of death or of dying. Its just another part of life, another adventure. Minutes passed as I sat there breathing in and out, waiting for the girl to arrive.

"So you must be the pathetic insignificant creature that I am suppose to start to train. You look nothing like an elemental and definitely not an Aetheran. You look and smell just like a mere weak human." I turned to see a woman standing behind me, her arms folded across her chest in clear disapproval. I gave her a level look and I figured out why both Kurama and Koenma had bad reactions to her personnel. I was having the same issue. She didn't stand but a little bit taller than me. She had about waist length pink hair and a set of piercing plain brown eyes. I would have to admit she was beautiful but something about the way she carried herself made it seem like she knew it already and that only telling her would add to the ego that's already too big. I knew I would have to keep my eyes peeled and wide open with her and to most definitely watch my back. I stood and brushed the grass off my pants. Honestly I didn't care if I made an enemy out of her neither did I care if I did totally tick her off and after her comment, she deserved to get some kind of reality check, and fast!

"Look, I don't care if you've just met me or not, but I've got a name miss pansy kiss-ass. Its Maeryn. And it would do you well to remember that." I told her flatly keeping my emotions in line. She practically threw her arms down in anger. It was really childish.

"How dare you speak to me like that! Do you even know who I am?!" I sighed knowing what was going to come.

"Yes I know who you are. You're Keaira, a snot nose, stuck up, whiny girl who thinks that shes above everyone and everything and thinks that shes the hottest thing around, which your not." Her anger flared and I braced myself.

"Just for that I'm going to make," I felt something grab my ankle and was suddenly hurled over her head and into the air then back to the ground belly first, "a living hell!" I may have braced myself but I wasn't exactly prepared for that. This was going to be a long day.

XXXXX

For the next four hours, it had been the same thing over and over again. Keaira would tell me to do something and I didn't do it, or did something wrong or didn't produce some kind of result, I got thrown and smashed into the ground. I was tired and in pain as I felt my body slowly succumb to exhaustion, but something about the snickered smirk on her face really pissed me off to no end and jus that burning energy was enough to keep me going. She just pissed me off! Finally Kurama walked outside just as I was getting up from my last smack down, fiery anger flashed in my eyes.

"Mae, lunch. You need to eat before continuing." He said walking over to where we were at. Keaira looked from me to him then snickered and sneered. Thankfully I didn't have to do anymore moving for the time being so I just stayed on the ground where I was. Strangely but oddly predictable me staying on the ground seemed to satisfy her to no end.

"Yes, stay on the ground. Eat the dirt, that's where you belong." She retorted walking away from us. She winked in Kurama's direction before walking over to a boulder off to the side and sat down with a triumphant smile on her face. I sighed. Kurama squat down next to me and touched my back. I couldn't help the wince that I let out but it was too late to take it back; Kurama had seen it.

"Is it just a bruise or is it an injury?" He asked me calmly and softly. I tried to get up but my arms protested from the effort after trying to save some of the pressure from being slammed to the ground.

"I think its just a bruise…"I whispered hoping for Keaira not to hear my comment. He seemed to notice where I was getting at by being quiet because from then on he didn't speak but simply made hand gestures. Hes so awesome for being so understanding. He lightly pulled my arms around his neck and lifted the rest of my body up off the ground and to where my body was pressed tightly against his back and he wrapped my legs around his waist. I was so worn out that I didn't care about the heated glare Keaira gave me as Kurama carried me inside the house. As soon as we walked in the door, Yusuke and Kuwabara both ran over to us and started bombarding us by speaking fast and rather loudly at the same time. I couldn't help but laugh at them even if it hurt to really laugh hard so I gave them a wheezy laugh.

"Guys calm down, I'm fine and I can't understand what your saying when your both speaking at the same time." I told them as Kurama sat me down at one of the kitchen chairs ever so gently. Sadly I was definitely not ready for what they were about to tell me.

"Are you kidding me Mae?!?! We saw you getting thrown 20 feet into the air and then dropped to the ground! We thought you were going to die after the last few of those kinds of throws…" Kuwabara exclaimed drowning out Yusuke rather ridiculous comments. I sighed but still smiled. That was not what I had been expecting them to say, and it certainly didn't feel like it was 20 feet…it felt higher than that. But I knew they were right. Any normal person would have been broken to pieces by such rough handling…maybe I wasn't some weak human after all.

"Look, guys I'll be fine. I only go through this sort of thing every other day so I'll definitely have time to recuperate and work out all the muscle kinks. That way next time hopefully I'll be better than the last." I told them point blank as Kurama set lunch in front of me. "Ahhh food!" I gobbled up the whole plate and then walked into the kitchen for a little bit more. Kuwabara and Yusuke were still making protests.

"You've got to talk to BinkyBreath, he can't expect you to learn anything by getting yourself practically killed in the process. And she should know better than to treat you the way she is…If she doesn't I'll show her a thing or two…" Yusuke said cracking his knuckles. I laughed hauntingly.

"She doesn't know nor does she care. Besides I kind of did piss her off before we got started." I said getting up for my third plate of food.

"Why did you do that?" Kuwabara asked. I giggled.

"At the moment it didn't really matter, but she acted like she was over the top and I didn't appreciate being called a mere weak human. I do have a name after all, and I do enjoy being called by that name. She needed to know shes not all that grand nor is she all that beautiful. Sure shes got looks but that's about it." I stated with a shrug. Yusuke and Kuwabara exchanged glances.

"Well why aren't you fighting back and isn't that your third plate of food?" I nodded eating the last little bit.

"Yup this is my third plate. Surprisingly I really do have a big appetite but you know…when I'm nervous or anxious I try not to eat a lot. And about fighting back…as much as I would love to whip her butt a bit like she does to me…I can't feel anything… she tells me to feel something I can't…I feel sort of…off balanced I guess…"I looked out the window and saw Keaira getting off the boulder. "I really don't want to got back out there yet… oh well," I said getting up feeling a few of my bones crack, putting my plate in the kitchen I proceeded to the door, "Wish me luck!" then I walked briskly out the door and back outside to face the terror that was suppose to be my 'teacher.' Inside Kuwabara, Kurama and Yusuke all watched the two of us and at each other with worried glances.

"She'll never life to see another day if she keeps going the way shes going. A girl can't handle all that." Kuwabara said, shaking his head in defeat. Yusuke and Kurama stared at him.

"Shes made of tougher stuff than that Kuwabara! She'll make it through! Shes just new at getting the whole power thing but once she starts getting the hang of it, she'll soon be kicking lots of butt!" Yusuke said defensively. She was like a little sister to him now and just like he looked after Keiko and Botan he would do the same for Mae. He didn't know when she became like that, maybe it was when he saved her the second time or the moment she first snapped at one of Hiei's comments but she was part of the family he now had and he would protect her too. Sure he protected Keiko for different reasons, but she was part of the family and that's all that mattered to him. Kurama, on the other hand, was worried that maybe perhaps the way Keaira was going about training was going to eventually end up killing her or maybe that was her purpose; kill the newly born Aetheran, and still try to fight for Hiei's heart. Either way, it was still a worrisome subject.

XXX

When I walked outside and hear the door to the house close, I walked over to where Keaira and I had been training since the morning and examined the damage. There were imprints on the ground from where Keaira had slammed my body hard into the ground. Each imprint looked just as bad as the one before it and the others looked worse. I sat down quietly onto the soft grass. As I ran my hand through the grass, I felt my body slowly become at ease. The wind blew around my face, tousling my messy hair around in all directions making me giggle lightly. The ease I felt turned into relaxation and my mind soon began to wonder and my body slowly gave into nothingness. Keaira didn't seem like much of what I would have expected from someone who was an elemental but I still had to hand it to her, she did have some talent, anger issues maybe but talent nonetheless. Still, something was strange about this girl and I didn't like it. It was one of those things where you just get a bad vibe from and you can see why but not the whole reason. But not only was Keaira was strange to me, but the fact that Hiei had been no where to be seen all day long also striked me as odd.

"Don't you dare walk away from me. I finally get your attention, and you want to walk away from me? I don't think so." Suddenly my senses became alert. I knew that voice, I could tell whose voice that was anywhere. It was Keaira's and she sounded pissed. Getting up from my spot on the ground, I followed the sound and climbed the nearest tree and crawled onto the thickest branch. There below me, I saw Keaira and Hiei in a very heated discussion, literally. Hiei turned back to Keaira. He looked like he was heading back to the house. It was a good thing I was hidden in the trees.

"I will go wherever I deem worthy to go, Keaira. You do not own me." Hiei told her coldly. I could feel the atmosphere around me begin to climb. The leaves on all the trees around me began to shiver as if fearing what could happen. I was so confused at this point. Just what kind of relationship did they have?

"Hiei, I owned you from the minute you and I met. Now tell me what exactly is between you and that slimy little slut?" She demanded. 'Slimy slut!' And here I was being called names when I just got here! I was tempted to come out of hiding when Hiei's temperature rose even more. I decided then it was best to just stay out of the way. I also felt my face grow hot. Hiei seemed to be getting worked up about what Keaira said more than I was! Now here was the beginnings of the twists of things. But still the question nagged me just what sort of relationship did they have?

"I have not nor will I ever do anything to that girl! She just got here and already shes gotten under your skin. Pissed that theres another woman living under the same roof as me are you Keaira?" Hiei sneered at her almost smirking with a demented smile when she threw her fists down at her sides like she did when I made my comment. She must do that a lot.

"You will never have anyone in your bed as good as I was. I could make you sweat with want without even trying." Oh they had THAT kind of relationship, I see. She smirked and folded her arms across her chest. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at her ridiculous attempts. Here she was calling me a slut when she was trying to get a guy horny and remember all the 'fun times' just to prove her point. What a pitiful attempt indeed.

"Keaira, I could get a thousand women a million times better than you ever where. And they would probably last for a while unlike you and I, if that's what you want to call us just screwing twice." That barb even made me shiver. I may not have slept with anyone, but still that was a barb any girl would feel, virgin or not. I figured it was about time that I walked back to the training field and act as if I never saw a thing. Once I reached the spot I left, I sat back down and my thoughts began to cloud my mind yet again. So there were a few things to review in my mind; obviously they had a past together just as Kurama had said but it was a short past. Keaira was pestering Hiei about either continuing the past or what he was doing with another woman in the same house. That sounded so just like her. She did seem to be the kind of girl who would get jealous about other girls being around the guy she wanted dibs on. I laid on the soft grass and felt my body once again slip into a state of enjoyment. Something about the connection to nature even in the littlest way gave me a moments rest. But the connection didn't feel whole, it felt sort of….shut off…Then I felt something kick me hard in the side. Opening my eyes I looked up and saw Keaira staring me down, obviously still pissed about the thing from earlier.

"So are you just going to lay there or what? I don't have time for naps, get up!" She demanded before moving away. After taking a few minutes to slowly get up, I began to wonder just what exactly had Hiei seen in her!? She had shit for eyes, literally. I decided then that it was time I got serious and started to buckle down. Maybe my training from long ago would help me now. It didn't use any kind of 'powers' but it was still training and that was something. I stood prepared for anything. It was time she learned I was a force to deal with. She didn't smirk this time around.

"Oh so your actually thinking about getting serious with me? Oh I am just so scared. A human is getting serious." I then changed into my old fighting stance. I used to take defense classes when I lived in India and while it didn't count for anything like Karate or Kung Fu, it was still useful. I smirked this time; she was obviously catching on because she raised an eyebrow in clear questioning.

"I'm far from that, Keaira. I was just getting warmed up. Let this party begin." Training than began. This time around I got in a few good hits here and there, landing a kick into her back or her sides or in any place she left open. She would use her elemental powers to give her the advantage but I was right; using my training that I had remembered from those years ago was helping me tremendously. She would go down with a surprise kick to her side and give me a look of shock and anger then I would soon find myself being flung into the air or smack by something. I couldn't help it but the way she was treating Hiei as if he was property instead of a person really pissed me big time. Out fight went back and forth for hours. I still felt disconnected from the energies that were practically screaming out at me but I couldn't think long enough to figure out what it was that was screaming or what whatever it was was trying to tell me. This sort of elaborate dance continued on and on well into the night. Finally Yusuke stepped outside and walked over to us. Keaira stopped in mid action and seemed to undress him with her eyes. I was disgusted and in her daze, I knocked her legs out from underneath her and sent her to the ground like she had me do a thousand times over. I looked straight in her eyes.

"Don't you even think about it, bitch. Hes already taken and hes my brother. Touch him and you'll be wishing you never saw him in your life. And besides he doesn't go for sluts like you with overly obnoxious attitudes." I told her before I walked over to him. Smiling, he ruffled my already messy and wet-from-sweat hair.

"Dinner time kiddo. Awesome job dropping her ass to the ground. And that was a pretty nice come-back." I giggled as we walked back towards the house, leaving Keaira to pick herself up.

"Thanks, that means a lot."

Dinner went along as usual only the atmosphere was more relaxing than it was last night. I had found myself slightly more comfortable in their company than I had ever felt with both my father and brother. Watching them laugh and joke about something seemed to make this all seem so natural, as if I had been with them my whole life. I adored Yusuke's company so far the most, even more than my own brother's company. With Galvin, it was always touch and go about the conformability but with Yusuke, it stayed. Remembering what I had told Keaira before I came in about him being my brother, somehow I couldn't help but feel that somehow that statement was in fact the truth. These boys were like the family I had always dreamed of and always wanted. Kurama was like a father figure to me, he held everyone together in his own special way and he had a kind, gentle heart, just like my own father. Kuwabara was like a little brother who was always doing something to make everyone laugh and he just happened to be 2 feet taller than I was! But deep down he was still like a kind giant. Yusuke as the encouragement, he was the one that could make anyone keep going no matter what the odds were, or what the stakes were. He seemed to be the kind of person…that I could see being the glue to the whole group. Hiei…there was so much I wanted to know about him, there was so much to learn but he distanced himself from those who he wasn't exactly close with. If anything, it seemed that Kurama and Yusuke were the only ones that he was really what you would called close to no matter how cold he acted towards them. It made me curious as to what or how he thought or about. It was like a big puzzle or a secret mission of mine. A new determination coursed through my body. Even if Keaira wanted him just to get into his pants, I wanted to simply get to know him. Who was the real Hiei? Who were these boys? How did they all of a sudden come together? Just what sort of things did they go through to become who they were today? And why did I feel so disconnected from the energies I could feel all around me? Who was screaming at me? What were they saying? I knew I had so much to learn, so much more than what was laid out before me.

XXXXX

**There you have it! Maeryn is becoming more and more at ease but why was she feeling so disconnected? That's for the upcoming chapter to explain! **

**I hope you all enjoyed that chapter, it was lots of fun to type especially when you have bands like Rent, Avenged Sevenfold and McFly helping me to stay focused! **

**A/N Chapter 9 for Will You Have Me? For all those who are reading that story as well as any of the others, has been put on a momentary hold. I'm trying to write the other stories new chapters so that I can have a certain variety with my stories. **

**Either way I do hope you all liked that story. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be posted but I am going to try to write it/type it as soon as I can. In the mean time, please everyone REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW! Please and thank you!**

**Upcoming – Chapter 3 Secrets Revealed!**

**~:Tigeret:~**


	3. Secrets Revealed

14

**Welcome back everyone! **

**I hope you guys liked that last chapter but now is when the ball really starts to roll. **

**I didn't have many people review that last time so no major shout-outs but I hope with this chapter, I'll get more reviews =) **

**Anyways you all had better be up for a grand twist! **

**Enjoy!**

**XXXxXxXXX**

I awoke drenched in sweat, my eyes bulging halfway out of my head, and my clothes clung to my body the way a parasite clings to sharks bellies. My breathing ragged and my muscles screamed in protest and in pain. I didn't know what was going on with me but all I knew was that my body felt like it suddenly wanted to run as far away from the house as possible. I looked everywhere around to try to remember where exactly I was until I looked out the window and sighed. It was still dark but it was slowly turning to day as the sun began to slowly rise. Slowly, I threw the covers off my body and felt my clothes rub against my body in a slightly irritating manner. I leaned on the side of my bed just to slow my breathing but all it made me do was shake more and more. I then decided that I needed out of the house badly. I got up steadfast and opened the door to my room as quietly as I could, so as not to walk the boys up that were still sleeping soundlessly, and I walked down the stairs taking two by two. It was nice that my footsteps made no sounds that they could hear, only the mice could hear me. I opened the door quickly and quietly and shutting it in the same fashion. It wasn't long before the cold air of the early morning hit my uncovered legs, feet and arms and a shiver quickly went through my body. The dew on the grass under my feet seeped between my toes felt so good compared to my heated body that I had woken to. As I walked, my short sleeved tee-shirt and shorts seemed to absorb the foggy mist making my clothes cling to my body in more places than I wanted.

Something about training yesterday seemed off to be but I couldn't quite put my finger on what the problem was. Yesterday was a very difficult training day. I had been through many rough training sessions but yesterday was the worst day ever. Every time Keaira asked me to call upon the power of the nature around me, I could feel something was definitely there but it was still out of range. Both ways, I still couldn't reach the power and I would be punished for not 'listening to her.' Lost in my thoughts, I let my feet take me wherever they deemed worthy and just walked. I was still uneasy with the fact that I couldn't connect to my 'powers' as I would have liked. I stopped. I started laughing at the very thought and continued my walk. It was funny how at the beginning of this charade I didn't believe that it could be possible that I could be an Aetheran but now I find myself wondering why I'm not connecting to the very thing I can feel is there. With all my thoughts jumbling about my head, I didn't even notice that I was walking along the band of a rather large lake clearing with a waterfall that fed into the lake at the very far side of the lake. It was like paradise; the clearing was soundless except for the distant splashing of the waterfall as its waters crashed into the lake's crystalline surface. I shook my head of my petty thoughts and decided to take a chance and go for a dip just to see how the water would feel against my skin. Taking that first step into the water, I felt something inside my body seem to tug at the very depths of my soul and pull me towards the center of the lake.

It was the same feeling I had whenever I took a shower or played in the rain, a sudden joyful feeling burned through my body. It was as if everything in my body felt like it was in celebration for some reason and yet again I couldn't figure out why. I stepped further and further into the water and the further I went the closer I got to the center of the lake and to the unknown reason as to why there was something tugging at me. I then realized what that tugging feeling was as I swam through the crystalline liquid; it was my connection, my powers that I couldn't reach. As I made this realization I began to wonder how did the water know about this separation and how was it able to show me just what I had been seeking?

_**"Are you the child? Are you the child who is feared by the Evil Witch who casted a spell on when they were just a babe?"**_I was confused at the voice that suddenly rang clear in my head. It was soft but clear like the water around me.

'Child? Spell? Evil Witch?'

_**"What is your name child who swims through my waters so freely?"**_

'My name is Maeryn, ma'am, and I only ventured through these waters just to see if the water was as smooth as they looked.'

**"**_**You are the child! You are the child who is feared by the Evil Witch who cast a spell on you and your powers. She fears you so."**_

'You've spoken twice of an Evil Witch and a spell. What spell? Who is this Evil Witch you speak of ma'am?'

**"**_**How mannered you are. Very well, I shall tell you for being so kind to my home and myself. The Evil Witch is an elder of a sort of your kind. She is tainted with Darkness and shadows that I am ashamed to say has only turned her heart cruel. The spell of which she placed upon, she placed to keep you from connecting to your true powers, your Aetheran side."**_I was confused. Someone else of my 'kind' can place a spell on another to keep her or him from the connection that I felt was there? Suddenly I felt very naked and dirty.

'But why does she fear me if she is older than I am? I'm inexperienced, how could I possibly pose as a threat to her?'

_**"You are far from inexperienced, young Maeryn. You have yet to even begun to breach the farthest potential of your powers. You are the reincarnation of the first of your kind, young Maeryn. Dear one, you have great abilities, and those abilities are what she fears. The spell she cast so many years ago holds fast to the connecting threads you have to the very nature you were born to connect to and bend to your will."**_The voice explained. I was stunned quiet yet again. I was a reincarnation? To the first of my kind? My history was so foreign to me that I didn't know what to think anymore…but what scared me the most was the face that I was under a spell!

'How do I get rid this spell? I want to get rid of this spell…I can feel something stir inside me but I can't quite reach it and I want to reach it…' I asked petrified of what the answer to my question would be. I didn't know whether the water would tell me that it was a perilous journey to get rid of this spell or if it would be something simple; I'm hoping for the latter. Silence ensued for a good bit until I felt myself coming out of the water and the grass was once again under my feet.

_**"Find the elemental that goes by the name Shu Fang. He was her teacher and so knows how to release you from your imprisonment of your own self…" 'Shu Fang?' **_why did that name sound so familiar…

'Thank you…for all that you've told me…

**"**_**Maeryn, I see a many good things from you to come. Let it be known, young one, my kind do not speak of such things but would rather you lesser figure things out for yourself. This is a rare treat, but it was indeed a pleasant talk with you. May you take heed to my words…"**_I nodded.

'Yes ma'am, your words will always remain close to me.' When I opened my eyes, the voice faded away from my mind and I found myself dripping from head to toe. 'Shu Fang'… why was that name so familiar…I would have to ask Koenma about it the next time she was either summoned or able to see him. I didn't know exactly where I was nor did I know if the others would be up by this time of the day; the sun had fully risen from its dark slumber and was dancing high in the sky. All I kept thinking about was getting back to the house and learning about who this Shu Fang was and how he could help me. As I walked aimlessly, my thoughts kept returning back to the moment with the lake.

It was strange how something in the water could speak to me and could envelope my senses with it's cool liquid without realizing it. It was like something drugged me and spoke to me and then released me. Before I realized where I was, I was looking at the side of the house, soaked to the skin from the lake but still oddly bemused that I had somehow found my way home. Through the windows, I could see all four boys were wide awake and among them, Yusuke was pacing throwing his hands frantically in the air. I knew it from the way he was acting that I was definitely in for it. At that moment I suddenly felt very small as if I was a young child and was about to be caught doing something wrong. As soon as I had opened the door to the house and took that first step I was suddenly confronted with a very furious Yusuke.

"And just where have you been all this time?! It's 10 o'clock in the morning and we've all been up and about since around 8 something! We've searched this entire house looking for you and you were nowhere to be found! And…why are you all wet?" he asked looking at me up and down pausing his anger to ask such a normal question. I could suddenly feel every drop of water on my clothes and skin drip onto the floor and puddle around my feet. My teeth were beginning to chatter and my body shivered. My eyes looked around the room until they rested upon Hiei. I didn't know if it was just the trick of the light but something light appeared on his face and he quickly turned away from the rest of us. Was that a blush on his face?

"I-I-I-I could-dn't sleep so I-I went-t-t-t out for a wa-a-alk arou-und 5 this-s-s-s morning…" I told him meekly through my chattering teeth. I didn't know why but I then glared at him. Who was he to scold me? I just went for a little walk and wasn't this area clear from predators? "Can I-I-I get insi-i-ide before I catch my death?"

"You won't get sick you foolish onna." I turned to the voice. It was none other than Hiei. That was the first undetached comment he ever said to me but his tone still left a barb in my skin.

"Why not-t-t-t?"

"Because, you foolish girl, you are a demon and demons are immune to even the slightest of diseases. Every demon knows that." I glared at him and walked over to him.

"Well excuse me Mister-know-it-all for not knowing about demons! It isn't like I've been living my whole life oblivious to the existence or anything!" she started as she got really close to him. From far away you could practically see the steam that emitted from around their bodies. "Look I haven't grown around demons and such I never knew I was a demon until only a few days ago. Cut me some slack I don't know everything. Unlike you, I'm new to this thank you very much!" I told him as I stormed upstairs. I was just so tired of him always talking about completely foreign things and making them seem as if everyone knows about it or at least should. Downstairs, Yusuke, Kurama and Kuwabara didn't know what to make of the scene that had laid out before them. The steam that had radiated around Hiei's and Maeryn's bodies still drifted in the air and Hiei remained transfixed to where he stood. No woman ever out smarted him and no woman had ever left him speechless, now was one of those moments where you say you always have something to learn each day. The silence in the room left a stale taste in everyone's mouth and so Kurama thought it was time that someone interrupted it.

"Lets get breakfast started before she gets back downstairs. May be that'll lighten her up. And Hiei, you don't have to be so hard on her. She did have a point; she is new to all this. She isn't used to all this demon stuff and drawing on powers and such." Hiei humped and went back to his window sill to sit in silence.

'Then maybe she ought to learn…'

"You know you guys…maybe it wasn't so bad her going out and walking…" Yusuke confessed scratching the back of his head and that was the last of the subject

**XXXXXXX**

I grabbed a towel from my bathroom and dried my body completely from all the cold water that was still crawling all over my body. Hiei's comment was a bit offensive and it did sting a little. I pulled on some new underwear and bra, a pair of extra baggy sweatpants and a t-shirt with the words 'Billabong' on it. It felt better to be in warmer clothes and I could think much clearer then in all the wet clothes I had on. Playing in the lake was the worst idea I had ever had in my entire life but if I hadn't done it I wouldn't have figured out what was wrong with me until it was probably too late to fix. The manner of how I went about it probably could have been dealt with better but I just had to get out of the house. I had to go walking. I HAD to go to that lake and I HAD to talk to the Lady of the Lake as I was now going to call her. As I walked back downstairs I thought about how I treated Hiei and the others. It really was uncalled for how I acted and I suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over me. And the way I acted towards Hiei was rude…after all it was Hiei. When I got downstairs, I saw all the boys sitting around the table talking amongst themselves. I looked down at my feet as I walked down the stairs. I couldn't help them congregating together by themselves after all I was the one who yelled at Hiei and made them all worry about me. I reached the table and looked at all of them levelly.

"Uh…about how I acted earlier…I'm deeply sorry… It was beyond the line and wasn't called for...especially you Hiei…" I heard silence and looked up to see that Yusuke was no longer at the table. I sighed, so much for being forgiven. Then I felt something touch the skin on my neck, and when I looked back it was too lake. The moment I had looked to see what had touched me, Yusuke already had me in a headlock and was giving me a rather unfair noggy.

"Aww come on Mae! You know you can yell at him, he yells all the time. It's ok to yell sometimes, you know. After all, we boys do it all the time!" Yusuke said while laughing as I frantically tried to get him to let go of me while I too laughed. Once he let go of me, my laughter continued while I tried to fix my messy hair as best as I could.

"Come on, Mae. Sit down and eat breakfast you look like you could use a few many good meals." Sitting down I sighed. It was good that Keaira wasn't here…she would have chewed me out for yelling at Hiei then for messing around with Yusuke…to me it just sounded as if she thought she owed every guy and that I couldn't have anyone for myself…then again I didn't think any of these guys would date me…

"You know its wonderful that we only get to Keaira every other day." All the guys looked around at each other then at me. Hiei humphed.

"Hn, you're lucky you're not dead yet. Keaira may not be powerful but she could've killed you if she really wanted to." He commented as if waiting for me to blow up again. I think the others were bracing themselves just in case but I just smiled at him.

"We'll see about that after I talk to Koenma."

"Quitting already huh?" What a nasty little bugger he was turning out to be.

"Far from it, in fact, I just found out what was wrong with me and I plan on getting it fixed as soon as I can and then showing Keaira that I can pull a little whoop ass on her." I said smiling, leaving the threat hanging in the air. The other boys looked at me questionably but Hiei had skepticism clearly written across his face.

"What do you mean by that Mae?" Yusuke asked with clear concern and curiosity in his voice.

"I'm under a spell, now eat before Kurama's good food gets wasted to the cold."

'And when I get rid of this spell it's going to be bye-bye Bitchira and Hello Douche-face!'

**XXXXXXX**

Botan was pacing around Koenma's office, her frown making creases in her forehead. King Enma had returned to the underworld promptly this morning when Koenma mentioned to him the possibilities of having found an Aetheran. King Enma, being thrilled by the news, was delighted to enlighten his son about the complexities of the Aetheran race. Thus leads us as to why Botan was anxiously pacing while Koenma took counsel with his father. She was worried about her friend Maeryn through all of this. Even though this mission had started off as an objective subject, Maeryn had wormed her way to becoming one of Botan's closest friends. In the beginning, Maeryn had always been the kind of person who tended to keep to herself but it was that trait that made her an ideal candidate for being an Aetheran prospect and Botan knew that all along. It was through Botan's observations that the prospect of her being a candidate became a positive. She was not only the kind of person to keep to herself, which was one of the traits for elementals, but she also was kind no matter who the person or people, or what past they had or what they did to her, she still remained kind to them. As she continued to pace, her worries fogging her mind, Koenma opened the door to room and bowed to his father before completely walking out and sighed. Botan ran over to Koenma and started sputtering a thousand questions until Koenma held up a hand to shush her. She was just too eager to find out the news.

"Patience Botan, I'll explain when were both by my desk and away from my father's office." As they closed the door to Koenma's desk office and were as far as they could get from King Enma, Koenma cleared her throat and Botan anxiously waited for him to start.

"Alright Botan, we haven't really got much to go on but thanks to my father we have a little more of an understanding of the Aetheran race and their history." He began. Botan began biting her lips and fidgeting with her hands. This curiosity was too much to handle.

"Now Botan, it seems we were indeed correct about the elemental part of an Aetheran but there is a bit more than just that. It seems, according to my father, that they are what some would call "lesser angels" because they're other side is a pure side. They are called "lesser angels" because of also…" a portal suddenly appeared in the back of the room and stopped him in mid-sentence. They waited patiently for the person to come out, until out stepped Maeryn and the Spirit detectives. Koenma smiled as did Botan.

"AH! Just in time, I was just about to summon you here." I smiled.

"Aw miss me that much Koenma?" I said jokingly. His smile turned into a straight line and I suddenly had the feeling that Koenma had found out some important information that he was planning to tell me. I held out my hands in defeat.

"Alright Koenma, all jokes aside, what do you need to tell me?" Koenma sighed.

"My Father just returned home and told me a bit more about your race and history." I nodded then sat down on the floor waiting for him to proceed. When Koenma realized that I wasn't going to say anything he continued.

"He told me that you do indeed have an elemental part; you can do all the things an elemental can do but have another side. Not only can you control the main four elements like other elementals but Aetheran's are also called 'Lesser Angels.'"

"'Lesser Angels?'"

"Yes, ' Lesser Angels.' They are angels because not only are they pure they are more connected to the Earth than they are to humans. Aetherans are quite special because no two Aetherans are alike. When each Aetheran fully access their abilities, their eyes and hair change color to their strongest element and their counterparts and their wings change to the color of their inner self. Each Aetheran has their own special abilities, some have more than others. The outcomes of having more than one Aetheran at a time on the same time are unimaginable but there are great foes if placed against each other." He explained. Nodding, I thought about what he had said before I chose the perfect words to ask of him.

"So if two Aetherans become foes against each other…then the battle most likely won't be a very pretty one am I right?"

"Yes indeed. It would be a hateful battle and a bloody one in fact as powerful as they sound."

"Well then if that's the case then can one Aetheran place a spell on another to restrict them of their powers?" Koenma gave me a curious expression before furrowing his brows in confusion and thought.

"I'm not entirely sure. From what my father says, one Aetheran does share a certain connection with another Aetheran but it's not a tangible or mind connection. Why do you ask?" She thought for a few minutes before sighing and telling him and the others about the Lake.

"And when I got there something pulled me towards the water. So when I got into the water I spoke to what I'm going to guess was a spirit of the water and she told me of a spell that was casted upon me by an 'Evil Witch.' And she also said that an elemental named Shu Fang was her teacher and knows how to release me from this spell." Koenma was stunned. I knew more about myself than he seemed to believe that I did and as odd as it sounded, I was proud of myself for being one step ahead. He started pacing around the office in front of me, his face still furrowed in a frown.

"A spirit, you say? Shu Fang, she said? You have to make an appointment with Shu Fang in order to get anywhere near him! Evil Witch…I've heard of that term several times over…"He sighed. "That's the new name for the once Good Aetheran Nastilia…she suddenly turned over to the other side a few years ago but we don't know why or how…but her placing a spell on you does pose as a problem…" During all his pacing, Koenma's right hand ogre George came bursting through the door bowing and apologizing over and over.

"My lord, Someone is here to see you! He says that it is an emergency!" Koenma sighed frustrated.

"Let him in then." I got up off the floor and stood with the group as we all waited in silence wondering who was coming in and why. When the man walked in the room, a cold shiver rushed up my spine as if some slimy creature had crawled up the back of my shirt and was leaving a messy trail that wouldn't wash off. The man had bright bleach blond hair and close to white eyes. His clothes covered every inch of his body leaving no room for there to be exposing skin. I could feel all the air in my body start to leave as if frightened away from this strange man and in all honesty, so was I. I didn't know why a man I had never met before seemed to chase away every ounce of sanity I possessed.

"My Lord Koenma, I am in dire need of your aid." The man said bowing gracefully as if he wasn't really of this world. Koenma turned toward me then to Yusuke and the others. Obviously I hadn't realized that upon my face had a shocked panicked expression etched across my face. I couldn't feel my body move, I couldn't feel anything upon my body from the moment that man had stepped into the room. Koenma walked over to Botan and whispered quietly in her ear.

"Take her and go. I'll call you when I need your help. Take care of her Botan. I mean it." Botan nodded and walked behind me, leading me out of the room while all the others circled around us and Yusuke brought up the rear. Botan quickly took a glance back before opening a portal that didn't reveal the location of their home. They all quickly stepped inside the portal making complete sure that the man in the room didn't watch them as they made their retreat. When they made it back to the all familiar two or three story house, I felt my legs buckle from underneath my body and all the air I had once felt disappeared suddenly rushed to my body with an overwhelming force. On shaking legs I still looked around at the world around me in terror and I just wanted things to go back to normal. Dazed, I felt a light touch of warm hands on the back of my legs and back and before I knew it, I was swept thankfully off my feet and up into the arms…of the very person I would never think to do such a thing: Hiei. His stern face so close to mine was a relative shock and it made me forget the fear that had so badly crippled me to the point where nothing else seemed to register. I took this opportunity to gaze at the very visage that had been so foreign to be ever since I had arrived. His burning red eyes truly reflected the burning fire and heat that held deep in his soul and his dark hair indeed defied gravity almost gave me the curiosity of what would happen if something happened and it deflated. Then I suddenly realized; His arms were touching me, he was touching my body. Blushing I looked away meekly and didn't know what to say.

"Um…Hiei…"

"Hush onna. For once in your days here be still. There is something indeed wrong with that man especially for it to cripple you with fear. I didn't like him either. Something about him bothers me and we should all indeed be on our guard around him." He told me quietly without looking at me. I was stunned, Hiei was bothered? Suddenly my eyes went up to the white bandana that I had noticed before but dared not ask about.

"But why are you…"

"Hush…" I looked up curtly and lightly touched the bandana.

"What's under this…" I asked just as quietly as he spoke to me. He growled and then dropped me unceremoniously on something soft and plush-like. Looking around, I realized that Hiei had brought me straight to my room. My blush deepened in my cheeks until I looked over at him and saw him glaring at me. He leaned over, his face close to mine but his eyes were still hard to read.

"THAT is none of your business. You're lucky; you know that, to be alive this long with no real hope of getting any of your born powers. How can you still smile when your chances of surviving in the cruel world of demons are slim to none?" I looked at him confused.

"What are you talking about? My chances of getting my born abilities are not slim. You heard Koenma its very possible to get in touch with Shu Fang and once the spell is released I'll be able to tap into that power… and I smile because its people like you who doubt my strength who give me the will power to keep going even when things seem unrealistic." I told him evenly. We stared at each other for a few minutes but it was in those minutes that it felt like magic. Why did I feel this way when this guy was always so cruel and barbed-tongued to me?

"You won't be able to survive on your own you know. That is more than a fact." Then he was gone. I couldn't help but feel my jaw open and close in shock and anger. How dare he tell me that I will or won't make it on my own?! He doesn't know a single thing about me enough to tell me that! In my own rage and anger I heard a light knock on the door.

"Maeryn…it's Botan…can I come in?" I licked dried lips trying to catch my breath and calm my raging heart. Just the closeness of being around Hiei made my body react, but why?

"Sure Botan come on in." I said my voice cracked. When she walked in I saw clearly the concern and worry in her eyes. I sighed; it was to be expected. I didn't like the idea that I was so affected by a complete stranger but something about him made my seemed to crawl in a nasty sort of way.

"Are you alright Mae? You seemed pretty scared back there…" She asked me as she sat down beside me on the bed. I sighed frustrated. This was one of those moments where I wish I was more opened with how I feel and more trusting of people.

"Didn't that man make your skin crawl? Didn't something about him seem off to you?" I asked her still a little shaken from the encounter and from dealing with Hiei just moments ago.

"Yes…he made my skin crawl. Same with Yusuke and the others, you weren't the only one. Even Koenma was worried about the man and he deals with a number of strange people." Botan told me allowing me to relieve a large sigh that I didn't realize that I had lodged in my chest. As least I wasn't the only one that was stumped, thank goodness, but none of the others were as affected as I was and that was what made me feel so uncomfortable. What stumped me more than just that was Hiei's reaction…when I first met him he was pissed at me but now he was willing to be around me? Half the time he doesn't even want to talk to me much less deal with me, and when he does he has something smart to say that gets me fired up and we get into a fight…The more and more I tried to understand him the more complex he became. As I lost myself in my thoughts, Botan started to lightly play with my hair; it was comforting, almost like something a sister would do to make another sister feel better.

"Botan…why is Hiei so cold around people?" Botan looked away distantly then back at me with a half smile.

"Hiei…is a particular person. If you want to learn about him, you'd either have to talk to Hiei himself or Kurama. Even if you avoid Hiei, as I'm sure you'd rather do, there are even things that Kurama knows that even he can't tell you." Botan said before giving me a reassuring smile and rested her hand on my shoulder.

"Mae, are you sure you're going to be alright? I can stay in here if you want some company."I shook my head lightly but gave her a smile.

"No I think I'll be perfectly fine, you go on ahead downstairs. I just need a few minutes to myself to think." Botan nodded before getting off my bed and walking out the door. I heard her padded footsteps as she descended the stairs until I could no longer hear them. I just needed alone time. Time to calm my nerves and time to think. The man from Koenma's office had totally creeped me out and even though the others were affected, they weren't as affected as I was. Something about his eyes…it was as if they were draining my energy and feelings from my very body…it was like someone had decided to strip everything that made me human away. With a sigh, I opened my door and began my descent downstairs to see that the only person in the living room was Botan.

"Where are the guys?" I asked. I felt sort of out of place being without those four boys. It was kind of a strange thought in fact to see the house practically empty. Botan smiled up at me while I walked over to her and sat down beside her on the couch. What also felt odd was I suddenly got this odd sensation in my head. It was like a fuzzy feeling, like someone was trying to rub me open with something itchy. I shook my head from the thought, hoping that it would clear up soon.

"Koenma called them back. He also told me to stay here with you. Just as a precaution." She was hiding something and I knew it. I don't know how for sure that I knew it but I did. It was like I just had a gut feeling that something was lying hidden from me and I wanted to know what it was. The boys would have told me good bye if they were going back to Koenma's…or at least Yusuke would have…

"Botan, where are the guys? They didn't JUST go to see Koenma again did they?" I asked firmly looking her expectantly. Botan sighed and as soon as we made eye contact, I knew she was going to tell me.

"Koenma called them for a mission…for that man…and Koenma's get a funny feeling about the man so he wanted you out of that as soon as he could get you then get them back to him. I'm sorry…" I nodded and smiled. Well at least I was right about one thing, they would have said good bye if given the chance. It was then that I decided I had to go do something. I had to get my mind off everything that had happened today.

"Don't worry Botan. You were just doing what you were told. In fact, I think I'm going to go do a bit of training. Do you know how long they should be gone?" Botan shook her head with a frown. I knew she was worried, I know I was.

"With Koenma's missions it really all depends on the assignment and how many monsters there are to fight and how strong they are. Where are you going?" I was already by the door and turned at the sound of her question. Her question sounded just like my brother when I used to go wondering off by myself…at least I did until that incident before returning to Japan…

"Botan, I'll be fine, don't worry. I'll be home soon." I told her smiling before I walked out the door and into the day. Yes, training would definitely do me a lot of good. My mind was filled with so many things but I didn't know what to do first…I knew from my past experiences, training and meditation were great sources for relaxation and calming of the mind. This was one of those times when I needed that relaxation. When I looked around, without caring where my feet took me, I found myself right back at the lake that I found earlier this morning. A sudden feeling of relief swept across my body and I felt a smile spread across my face. Something about this place seemed to call out to me…as if it was connected to me somehow. And not in just the regular way but something more. Walking over to the far bank where smooth stones stretched out of the crystalline waters, I sat down Indian-style and began meditating. I found my core and ignored all the world around me and just concentrated just on my breathing. It was only then when I found my internal rhythm that I drifted into darkness.

**XXmeanwhileXX**

Koenma paced around his office; he did not like having to drag his best boys into this sort of Reikai problem but it was his only option. The man specifically asked for the Spirit Detectives to help him with a mission but something about the man's white eyes sent shivers all over and it was the same with everyone else. What really surprised him was the fact that Maeryn had been so affected by this strange man. As an Aetheran, she was supposedly on step less than god-like and no man or woman other than another Aetheran should have been able to affect her unless they were connected but it seemed highly unlikely. It was a simple mission; retrieve an item that was stolen. A rare artifact call the Maiden's Tear was supposedly stolen from this man and he now of all times wanted it back. The boys were sent to go fetch it for him…what seemed odd was that, what would a man want with the Maiden's Tear? Koenma paced around the room his face furrowed in a frown and he was clearly worried and confused. The Maiden's Tear was an artifact from one of the 1st Aetheran's. It was her tear that crystallized but had enormous powers of it's own and it could only be used by the Reincarnation of the 1st Aetheran; supposedly a male but it's not entirely clear if that was true or not or why it was named the Maiden's Tear. In all his frustrations they suddenly stopped on a dime when a portal opened and out stepped Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and lastly Hiei. The boys had returned and Koenma was overjoyed!

"Thank goodness you boys are back!" Yusuke shrugged.

"Course we came back. We didn't even break a sweat getting the damn thing." He said as he flopped down on the couch. Koenma was confused.

"Yeah, they sent me in there and I got through it no problem!" Kuwabara announced proudly. Yusuke snorted.

"That's because this was such an easy mission we didn't think that we would find it sporting." Yusuke retorted. Kuwabara glared at Yusuke and Kurama stood in between them to keep them from starting a fight.

"That man didn't bother you at all?" they all gave Koenma dumb stares.

"No…actually he didn't…To tell you honestly as soon as we knew what we were supposed to do, he disappeared and once Kuwabara came out with the thing, he came back, grabbed it, and vanished again…Why?" Yusuke asked all of a sudden thinking straight to Maeryn, same with everyone else.

"Nothing in particular…you boys go home. You did well…" A portal then opened and with heavy hearts they all stepped in and walked straight over to their house. Opening the door, the boys found only Botan sleeping on the couch but there was no trace or sign of Maeryn.

"Where's Mae?"

**XXXXXXX**

My eyes suddenly shot opened as if someone had slapped me awake and I looked around me. I was still out by the lake but the sky was almost dark and I had a long walk back home. Stretching, I set my feet onto the ground and fell; my knees had given out from underneath me. The sand was warm against my body but something inside me told me that I needed to get home. I also had the feeling that the boys were back from their mission and I was more than eager to see them. I felt the wind around me begin to grab my body and walk with me on my way home as if it was acting like a crutch while my body adjusted from not moving for several hours. One thing for sure: my window was definitely staying opened tonight.

When I reached the house I found that all the lights in the house were on except for some upstairs. I knew that the inside I had been right all along and felt a large smile spread across my face and excitement filled my body. I practically ran to the door and slammed the door wide opened and there in the living stood my four boys: Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei and Botan stood with them. They were back.

"You guys made it back!" Yusuke was the first to smile at me.

"There you are! Where did you go again?" He asked calmly without yelling. I bit my lip. I didn't want to tell him that I had been meditating by myself, in the middle of the woods, by an enchanted Lake…but I also knew that if I didn't tell him that would be lying and I tried to stay away from lying.

"I went out for a walk hung around the lake from earlier…" why did I have to be so honest, I could have very well told him that I was having sex with a random guy…WHOA!? Where did THAT come from? I heard Hiei cough and turn his head. I have him a quizzical look after I noticed the light pink on his cheeks. I decided to spare him the embarrassment. Yusuke gave me an even look but it was Kuwabara that beat him to the punch.

"By yourself?! You could have brought Botan with you! You can't even defend yourself!" he yelled as I glared at him offended. Yusuke and Kurama were trying to pull him back just as Botan walked over to me checking my face. I shooed her away.

"Yes, I can too defend myself fine thank you! I've been doing it for the last 16 years of my life and I can very well keep going. I've been doing this well before I ever met any of you!" My fists were clinched tight by my side. I was no so weak as to not know how to take care of myself. I was really starting to hate this 'Evil Witch' for doing all this to her.

"Onna, listen to the buffoon. He has a point. Protecting yourself from demons is a lot different from dealing with your pathetic weak ningen males. You are weak in that prospect." Hiei said bluntly, while taking a seat at his window sill, his eyes expressionless as his tone. I glared at him and walked over to him.

"Whether or not I know how to tap into my powers or use a sword or shoot blue stuff from my hand, I can still protect myself nonetheless. I don't need like you who do nothing but criticize everyone and what they do and put them down because you think you're better than they are. I can protect myself just fine." Suddenly I found myself with my back against the floor and him on top of me; his legs straddling my hips and his hand to my throat while the other hand held both my hands above my head. I vaguely heard Kurama in the background trying to talk to Hiei but as soon as I looked into those deep crimson red eyes my heart seemed to skip a beat. Then memories, painful ones, came flooding back and I started to panic. My body was shaking all over and I couldn't stop as tears began to fall from my eyes and I glared at him, his eyes laced with confusion mine with some unknown hatred.

"You bastard…you sex driven, slimeball, asshole, piece of crap…" my voice was shaky but my words rung clear. Everyone was shocked. He even gave me a look of shock. No one knew what to say. It was as if this person lying under Hiei wasn't me anymore. At least to me it felt that way. But I couldn't help what was happening…I had hidden those memories for so long…and for them to suddenly come forth..it hurt so much…

'Oh so he does have other emotions besides always being cynical! "Get off of me…"I said before my body started shaking even more and more and the tears started making my vision cloudy but I would not let them fall…but the memories they wouldn't stop… Shrugging him off me fiercely leaving him confused on the floor, I ran up to my room and slammed the door as hard as I could. Inside my room, I opened my window and crawled under the covers. I could feel the wind dance around the room and caress my skin as the tears fell from my eyes. Tomorrow was going to be hell…my last thoughts as sleep overtook me was that if Keaira got so much as an inch close to ticking me off: she is TOAST!

**XXX**

**Well there you have it! Chapter 3 is no officially FINISHED! I do hope you all enjoyed it. Now I know your probably asking yourself a few questions well I don't mind answer questions as long as it won't reveal any spoilers to the story but if you do review I'll be sure to answer as best as I can =) **

**Now I will have to say that I may end up becoming quite scarce for a while because due to all kinds of stuff for college being due I have to concentrate on doing that instead of mainly my stories (I know! Shocking isn't it!?) but sadly my mother is making it hard to not feel bad so I must please…**

**Now if you would all be so kind and hit that little review button at the bottom of the screen =) I do hope you all like it! And I won't update until I have at least 10 reviews for this story! The price my readers must pay for satisfaction so be sure to recommend this story to others if you wouldn't mind! **

**Please and thank you!**

**~:Tigeret:~**


End file.
